Soundless
by Yashodoa
Summary: Cloud Strife is Deaf and he dreams of becoming Soldier. He caught the interest of General Sephiroth and got him interested in a different kind of world.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One: The Letter**

 _Dear General Sephiroth,_

 _My name is Cloud Strife and I am fourteen years old. I live in Nibelheim on the Western Continent. It is cold here and lonely, probably not like warm and busy Midgar where you are at._

 _I wish I could join Soldier and become like you! But I was told that I can't because I can't hear. I have never heard a sound in my entire life. My ears do not work and no matter how many time the doctors try Cure on my ears, I still can't hear. My mom says I am just different. I use sign language to communicate with my mom and Tifa, my best friend. It does sometimes get lonely because they're the only one I can really talk to._

 _I wanted to ask you directly if it is possible for me to join Soldier? Or do I have to have hearing ability to join? I wonder this because when I read about Soldiers and sometime they would be in the noisy environment and they obviously can't hear. Or what about top-secret recon mission where you have to be absolutely silent and have to rely on gesture to communicate? I want to know more._

 _I look up to you because you are my hero. You are brave and strong, and at the same time, you are different from everyone else. I am different too._

 _I hope to learn more about Soldier someday. I know you are busy and probably don't have time to write but I hope you do._

 _Thank you._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Cloud Strife_

Sephiroth read the letter again with a tiny smirk on his lips. He wasn't sure how this little fan letter ended up in his mailbox because he had a strict order for fan letters to be filtered out of his mails and that he wad not to see one of them cross his desk at all. However, this one somehow snuck in and ended up in his hands. He picked up the envelope and a silver eyebrow rose, the envelope looked like a business return mail and figured the kid didn't have a spare envelope and used a bill envelope. That was probably why he ended up reading the letter.

However, it was unique. It piqued his interest.

"Zack," He said to the raven-haired lieutenant commander that was sitting across from him, his feet resting on his desk much to his annoyance. He looked at the man who looked up from his laptop. "What do you know about deaf people in general?"

Zack shrugged. "Not much. There's not many of them because they get cured if there's a problem." He clicked on his laptop, "let me check something." He hummed as he kept typing on his laptop. "Interesting. There are actually some people that are born deaf and they could not be cured because it was like there's nothing wrong with them." He looked up, "Like trying to cure a natural amputee to have an arm."

"That's the case with this kid," Sephiroth replied, waving the letter. "I just got a fan mail but it's unique because this kid's deaf and he could not be cured. He asked if it was possible to join Soldier, per to his dream."

Zack reached out and plucked the letter out of the general's hands and read it. "Huh, this kid is ambitious! He even wrote directly to you!" He looked up, "How did you get this mail mixed in your regular mail?"

Sephiroth handed the envelope to Zack, "Business envelope."

"Genius! He might have known your mail gets filtered and found a way around it."

"Or he just didn't have a regular envelope."

Zack handed the paper and envelope back and asked, "You're going to reply?"

Sephiroth shrugged and placed it in his drawer. "I don't know. Is it possible to be in the military without being able to hear?"

"I don't think so. You would have to pass the physical exam." Zack replied and closed his laptop, dropping his feet to the floor. "He would have to be extraordinary to make it in without his hearing ability."

Sephiroth stood up and moved around his desk. "It's something I've never really thought about." He took Masamune from the stand near the wall next to his desk and strapped it to his back. "Training time."

Zack stood up and placed the laptop on the desk and grabbed his Buster sword from where it stood against the wall near the door. "Right." He replied and followed the general.

* * *

Okay, I've always wanted to write a story with a character that is Deaf. I am Deaf myself and often when I find stories that have a character that is deaf and the person writing it has no idea or any clue about the culture and what it is like to be a deaf person makes me cringe. I just came up with this idea while driving my usual route to my son's school to drop him off and onto to work and university (it's often a bit of a long drive) and my mind wanders. I have always wanted to write one, any fan fiction with a deaf character and wasn't sure which one to approach until this one hit me right in the head and I thought, why not?

I want this story to be an approach of how Cloud became a Soldier while being a profound Deaf person and develop a relationship with Sephiroth too, all while dealing with the crisis their planet is going through. All of this from a writer that lived and know deafness and the stigma upon it. I am going to simply have fun with this story and do my best to compress what I know into what I hope to be a short story.


	2. Chapter 2

Note:

"Normal Speaking"

" _Sign language speaking"_

* * *

 **Chapter Two: Audism**

 _Audism: discrimination or prejudice against individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing_

Across the world from Midgar and deep in the mountain was a little quaint town, Nibelheim. So small that the population was no more than two hundred people lived there. The people were a traditionalist and lived the same ways for many years and are very skeptical of strangers, especially anyone who came from big cities. The town also had the world first reactor up in the mountain, yet it did not feed power to the town. It was old and degrading but still hummed, generating power that no one in the town knew where it went. Nibelheimians resented ShinRa and their strange modern ways.

A young teen sat on the top of the water tower in the middle of the town, watching people milling about. He had blond hair that was wild like chocobo tuft, sticking out in every direction and framing the bright blue eyes that darted back and forth, taking in every detail of his environment. He was a small person and easily hidden from everyone's sight on the water tower where he liked to sit sometime, watching the world go by.

A girl, about the same age as the boy, with chestnut hair and russet eyes, climbed the steps and carefully made her way around the narrow walkway to the boy and plopped down next to him. Her feet dangled over the edge and she smiled at him. She tapped his shoulder to gain his attention and her hands flew in motions that looked wild but with precise pattern and signs as her fingers changed shapes deftly. _"Cloud! What are you doing up here?"_

The boy shrugged and replied in the same fashion. _"Just watching people and thinking. Tifa, your dad okay with you out now?"_ The girl, Tifa, laughed. Her voice was like a tinkle of the bell but the boy never heard it. He could not hear at all and never had since he was born. His world was soundless.

She replied, _"Daddy's busy with meeting today. My punishment for dropping water balloons on people's head was long over. He forgot. What about you?"_

Cloud grinned, remembering the look on the victim's faces when they dropped some water balloon from the top of the water tower the week before. They had been caught and grounded by their disappointed parents. He replied, _"My mom thought it was funny too. She doesn't like Mrs. Neilson and said she deserved it. She only grounded me for few days."_

Tifa leaned against Cloud and they watched the people walk around the town square around the water tower. She giggled and pointed to the bakery screaming at the dog for stealing his bread from his cart. Cloud laughed softly.

" _What are you thinking about?"_ She asked after a while when it got boring to watch the people.

He dropped his hands into his lap and swung his legs a bit. Finally, he replied, _"I am leaving in few days. I am going to Midgar."_

This made Tifa jerk in surprise and sat up straighter. She turned to him with a horrified look on her face. _"Cloud! Why?"_

He grimaced at her expression and frowned. _"I don't belong here. No one wants me here. I want to see what is out there and try to see if I can become Soldier."_

" _But you can't hear! They won't let you in."_ She argued back.

" _Maybe. But who says I can't try. I did check and there is no rule that state that I can't get in. Besides, if I stay… what can I contribute to this town? They pick on me. Make fun of me. Only you and mom talk to me."_

Tifa dropped her hands and turned away. Angry for Cloud deciding to leave abruptly, but sad for him. He was right. He didn't have an easy life in Nibelheim. They, the people, in the town looked down on him as if he was below them. He could not hear and they do not believe he was smart or could do anything like a normal person and belittle him at every chance. She grew up with him and saw differently. She learned how to communicate with him when she was young. She knew he was smart, in fact, smarter than anyone in town. He could read and write and know so much more about the world outside Nibelheim. Cloud was a dreamer. And trying him down in Nibelheim would kill him, kill his bright and beautiful spirit.

Her shoulders slumped. If she could, she would have gone with him. She glanced over at him and studied his profile as he watched the sky change color as the sun settled beyond the horizon. She loved him deeply, but not in a lover's sense, but more of sisterly love and felt extremely protective of him. He had made it clear that he had no interest in girls a while ago. It was strange to her to consider if he liked boys or not. He assured her that he also had no interest either, wanting to wait until someday if the right person comes along, let it be male or female. He was beyond the town's traditional and set ways and she loved him for it. He showed her how to dream, to look beyond the boundary of the town and beyond the horizon.

She reached out and touched his shoulder. He turned to her and she wrapped her arms around him, hugging him. They held on to each other for a long time until the sky darkened to deep blue and filling up with galaxies of stars.

Cloud leaned back from the hug and smiled softly at his longtime friend. He felt bad for leaving her behind but he could not stay any longer in Nibelheim. He desired to see the world and do more. Nibelheim had lowered the cap on his life and he hated how he was treated. "Thank you." He said softly, his voice carrying in the slight wind.

Tifa wiped her wet eyes and nodded. _"What would you do? If you can't join Soldier?"_ She asked.

Cloud chuckled, _"Maybe I'll find something. I am sure in Midgar I will be able to find something I can do. Here, no one will let me do more. Maybe I'll look for others like myself."_

Tifa tilted her head, "Others?" She sighed and signed what she had spoken, _"You believe there are other people who can't hear from you? You're the only one here. How would you know if there are others?"_

He grinned. _"How are we communicating?"_ She frowned and held up her hands. _"Yes, signing. Where did it come from? My father brought back a book on sign language from Midgar. Both mom and dad learned sign language and taught them to me. It has to come from somewhere, so that means, there are others."_

Tifa's eyes widened and she smiled. _"You're right! I hope you do find them!"_ Then she gripped his hands before letting go to sign, _"You must promise me to keep in touch! If you do become a Soldier, will you help me out if I need you?"_

Cloud laughed and nodded. _"Of course. I will be there for you. You're my best friend!"_

She ruffled his wild hair and gestured for him to follow. She jumped down from the water tower and waited for him to come down. He followed shortly and they walked back together to their houses.

" _Let's hang out in the next few days before you go,"_ Tifa suggested as they reached her house.

" _Sure, I have planned to go up the mountain tomorrow,"_ Cloud replied and watched as she nodded and disappeared into her house before turning to go to his house next door.

He went in and found his mother in the kitchen. She greeted him with a wave and had a questioning look on her face. He shook his head, indicating nothing was the matter. He started to poke around the kitchen and found a canister and took some cookies from it.

Freya, his mother, wiped her hands dry from washing the dishes and turned to him. _"You told her?"_

" _Yes."_

" _I see. We will miss you the most."_

" _Just two of you."_

" _I wish things were different. But you are you, special and you deserve what's out there beyond the horizon."_ She told him and gathered him into her arms. He was as tall as she was and they had similar hair except her hair was pulled back in a pigtail. She patted his face affectionately. _"Your father was like that."_

Cloud's eyes widened slightly. His father had died when he was six years old and there were some memories he remembered of the man. _"Father came from Midgar, right?"_

" _Yes. He told me once that he would have been proud of you, no matter what path you take. I just never thought you would try to follow in his footstep. It's a dangerous world, as a Soldier."_ She told him and frowned, _"Part of me hope you would not be allowed to enlist, and a part of me hoped you would become what you dreamed to be, a Soldier."_

Cloud stared at his mother. He had initially felt betrayed when she said she hoped he would not be able to enlist but after she said the rest, he understood her worries for him. She had tried hard to teach him to be independent and strong despite his deafness. He reached out and hugged her again.

She smiled and returned the hug, holding him close and kissing his cheek. She gently pushed him away and pointed to the ceiling, _"Go and get ready for bed. You have a big day tomorrow, right?"_ She asked referring to his plan to go up the mountain the next day. He bobbed his head and ran up the stairs and she winced slightly, his feet clomping the steps rather loudly. It was something she had gotten used to his whole life, his being noisy when he walked around the house. He couldn't hear his own footsteps to be able to quieten his feet. She shook her head and returned to the dishes.

* * *

Tifa reached for the door and her mother's voice stopped her. "Tifa. Where are you going?"

She turned and replied, "Spending the day with Cloud!"

Her mother approached her, looking rather disapproving. "I wish you wouldn't spend so much time with him. He's a bad influence on you. Look at what happened last week!" Tifa stared at her mother resoundingly. "That poor kid. He's going to come back begging his mother to help him. What would he do if his mother disappears and he's stuck on his own?"

Tifa rolled her eyes. It was not new that her parents thought low of Cloud. "Mom." She started, "Cloud is smart and he can do a lot of things that most people can't do. He is not stupid. He just can't hear. That is all."

"Tsk." Her mother turned away as if she didn't hear her daughter. "Be careful. I wouldn't want that incident to happen like it did a few years ago." She muttered to herself, "I still think he's taking advantage of you, relying on you for help and all." She gasped as the door slammed shut behind her. "Teens." She scoffed.

Tifa glowered as she stalked toward her best friend's house and sighed. She saw him coming out and waved at him. He smiled and waved back before turning to his mother in the house, giving her a farewell. He then joined her with a pack on his back and an old broadsword in hand. _"Ready?"_ She asked.

" _More than ready! Let's go!"_ Cloud replied and they started to walk through town toward the path that would lead them up the mountain.

Tifa pointed to his broadsword. " _Expecting to cross some monsters up there?"_

Cloud lifted the sword and flipped it in his hand, turning it over few times. _"It's been a while since we were up there last, clearing up the paths. They must've returned."_

Tifa grinned and hoisted her pack tighter on her shoulders. They made their way through the town square. Her smile started to fade as she heard comments floating around them.

"Look at that. It's a shame Freya gave him the sword."

"True. Dangerous. Who knows how much training he had with it?"

"I pity the boy. Unable to do anything. I can't imagine not being able to hear anything. I rather go blind if I had a choice."

"Did you know he's undisciplined? He tossed water balloons to people last week! How undignified." That was Mrs. Neilson, the snootiest woman who believed she was better than anyone. "He ruined my best hat. He should've been whupped."

"His mother felt sorry for him and let him run free."

Some of the comments were directed toward Tifa.

"Hey, Tifa. Forget him, come with us!" A boy shouted at her.

"Tifa, you really shouldn't let him take advantage of you."

Tifa sighed and muttered under her breath, "He isn't."

"Freya should've drowned him when he was born to save her troubles," got to Tifa and she shot a glare at the baker's wife. She was a horrid woman who believed every child born with a tiny defect should be drowned. It didn't help any that she never had a child of her own.

Tifa felt tears wells up in her eyes and looked straight ahead. It had never changed. The town never understood Cloud as she did. They just refused to give him a chance to show that he could do anything. She looked over at him and found herself awed at his smiling face and his eyes set on the mountain. He was oblivious to all of the cruel things being said to him. There were times she wished she could not hear, just like him. Silence can be truly golden and ignorance can be a bliss.

He turned to her and smiled. He reached out and rubbed her cheek, _"Tears?"_

She wiped her face, realizing some of the tears had escaped. _"I am going to miss you very much."_

Cloud laughed and started to run and she ran after him.

* * *

Tifa breathed hard as she slumped down on the ground. They had hiked all over their usual trails and encountered some small monsters and fought them off. The last one was challenging. They had run into a nest of Twin Brains and had to fight off several of them.

" _Those were nasty,"_ Cloud commented as he bent over, breathing. His broadsword was covered in the Twin Brain's green blood. He grimaced and shook it off to clean it and started to wipe them against the grass nearby.

Tifa stood up and stretched. _"But a good exercise. We should head back. We have dinner with the Jensens."_

" _Ugh."_ Cloud grimaced and slipped the sword into his belt. He had no love for the Jensens. The elderly couple always treated Cloud as if he didn't exist. And when they noticed him, they treated him as if he was slow and needed to explain what he should do and not do. Cloud shuddered at the thought of having to sit down and eat with them for dinner again. It was a weekly thing. The Jensens had been family friends of his mother for a long time and doted on her. They also often invited the Lockharts over, buttering up to Tifa's father who was the town's mayor.

Tifa knew what he was thinking and nudged him. _"Just one last time before you go. Maybe we'll put something in their drink?"_

Cloud laughed and shook his head. _"I wouldn't want to leave a bad last impression on them. Race you back!"_ Then he took off running. Tifa gasped and ran after him.

Several hours later found Freya and Cloud approaching the Jensesns' house. Freya ran her fingers through Cloud's unruly hair and sighed. It was no use. His hair just stuck out in a different direction and smiled, amused how he rolled his eyes and scrambled his hair to make it worse. Giving up on his hair, she straightened the skirt she was wearing and gestured for him to follow. She approached the door and knocked.

The door swung open and an elderly woman in her 60s greeted them. "Freya! Come on in!" She was short and had a slight haunch to her back. Her dark grey hair was pulled back in an elaborate coiffure and she wore crystal jewelry over her black modest velvet dress. She hugged Freya before turning around to lead them into her house.

Cloud followed his mother and the old woman, closing the door behind him. The older woman, Mrs. Jensen was an old friend to his grandmother and thought highly of his mother. She fritted and complained for many years that Freya had married a wrong man and was punished for a defect child. He hated the old woman not because she pretended he didn't exist but moaned about Cloud's father and pitying Freya for her so-called mistake.

They approached the living area of the house and Cloud saw the Lockharts was already there. He beamed as he saw Tifa.

"You two." Mrs. Jensen beckoned both teens and led them into the dining area. "Please set the table. The dishes are in the cabinet over there." She turned to Cloud, grasping his arms toward the table where there was already some set laid out. "Be careful with how you set them. The forks go here, knife (oh, just don't cut yourself), spoon. Watch how you set them out. Glass here and this is how you are supposed to fold the napkin." She kept prattling on, explaining how to set the table as if Cloud was five years old.

Cloud glanced over to Tifa. He had not gotten a single word the old woman said. Tifa looked painful as she handed the plates to Cloud. He took them and went around the table, ignoring Mrs. Jensen.

"Excuse me, boy. I am not done." The woman huffed, annoyed by Cloud's ignorance.

Tifa rolled her eyes, "Mrs. Jensen, we got it. I think my mom is looking for you."

The woman eyed Cloud and huffed, muttering under her breath. "No manner, that boy." She turned and walked away.

Tifa grimaced and helped Cloud set the table.

 _"She still thinks I am stupid."_ He said morosely. Tifa hesitated before nodding as she set down the flatware. He blew air into his fringes and placed the glasses down. _"Just one more night with the Jerksens."_

Tifa giggled and handed him napkins for him to fold. _"Don't worry about them. You got me and your mom."_

 _"Yeah."_ He replied slowly as he finished the last napkins and placed them on the plate. His mother, Tifa's mother, and Mrs. Jensesn came in with bowls and plates of food from the kitchen and set them down. He went over and helped his mother with a heavy plate of meat.

They all sat down and the men came in from another room and sat down too.

The food was served and chatters rose around the table. Subjects flowed here and there on the events in the town, the upcoming annual hunts and winter storage. All of these had gone over Cloud's head as he ate.

Tifa glanced over at her friend who sat across from her at the table, watching as he seemed to be somewhere else. He slowly ate, mechanically putting the food in his mouth and chewing while his eyes stared at the table or somewhere else in the room. Freya would occasionally turn to Cloud to offer something in the conversation but got immediately turned away by any other adults at the table with a question or something.

Anger started to rise from the pit of her belly and she was rapidly losing appetite for the delicious dinner. It hit her hard as she realized, it was common during that kind of dinner where Cloud would sit there, staring off into space and eat, not knowing what everyone was talking about. It was just enough for the people to assume he was stupid. But he wasn't. She is known for the fact at home when it was between him and Freya, they would have the liveliest conversation at their own table with hands flying and occasionally spilled drinks followed by laughers. She had been included in few of those in the past and enjoyed that kind of dinners more than anything else.

Tifa reached out with her hand to wave at him. He looked up, snapping out of his daydream and giving her a small smile. _"They're talking about how Mr. Andersen's oldest daughter was caught in the chocobo stall with the stable boy!"_

Cloud's eyes widened and he laughed silently. _"I knew it! I saw the stable boy the other day with her. Thought something was up!"_

" _Yeah! Mr. Anderson was furious!"_ Tifa giggled.

"Tifa. None of that at the table." Mayor Lockhart called to his daughter, admonishing her. "It's improper!"

Cloud sighed and returned to his plate. Tifa watched as he took a bite of the caramelized carrots and seethed. She slammed her hands down on the table and stood up. She turned to her father, "It's not improper! You all chatter at the table, it's no difference! Cloud and I were TALKING! How can signing to him be improper? It is not any different than talking with your mouth! It's not fair!"

Mayor Lockhart turned red and his wife became pale. Freya clenched her hands under the table on her laps. Mr. and Mrs. Jensens gasped at her. Cloud's eyes widened, staring at Tifa while his fork drooped in his grip.

Tifa looked furious as she glanced around the table. "You all are being unfair to Cloud! Everyone in this town treated him horribly and what had he done to them to deserve such treatment? Nothing! He is the kindest and smart person I've ever known! You guys never give him credits he deserved! He just can't hear! That's all! Nothing wrong with his brain or his heart! I say everyone in this town has more things wrong with them than Cloud! I have enough of this!" She turned to Cloud and signed, _"Come on. No more of this. They're stupid. Let's get out of here."_

Cloud stood up and allowed Tifa to take his hand and they left.

Mrs. Jensen was the first to recover and tutted. "Why, I've never! Mayor Lockhart, you need to control your daughter!"

Mayor Lockhart stammered, turning purple as he gripped his napkins. "Trust me, I'm going to have some talking…" He stopped as Freya stood up abruptly.

Freya placed the napkin down on the table. "Please." She said as everyone turned to her. "I am not going to apologize. Tifa had done what I wanted to do for a long time." Gasps went around the table. "She was right. You all, especially this town, had treated my son like he is invalid. But the thing is, he is not. Mrs. Jensen, Mr. Jensen, thank you for inviting us tonight. I will apologize that I will need to decline our weekly dinner get together from now on. I can't continue to listen to you both putting my son or my late husband down. Jilla, Mayor Lockhart, I am ashamed of you both for how you assume that my son is nothing but degenerate. It is offensive to Cloud and offensive to me. I have done nothing but try to support his upbringing and raise him into a good person. I am truly grateful for Tifa being a wonderful girl, she has been a good friend to Cloud. Good night." She turned and left, leaving the table stunned.

* * *

Note:

This was a little bit of a hard chapter but I felt it needed to be put out here because it is a true perspective of a deaf person. A lot of things happening here reflected from my own and many other deaf people's life. Audism is very real and it happens every day everywhere. I get patronized on almost a daily basis by people who didn't know any better. I get talked over so many times. I get pushed to the side as if I wasn't important. It is still happening everywhere and the stigma toward Deaf and Hard of Hearing people are still out there.

In a lot of ways, this fanfiction may seem like a Mary-Sue but I am trying to not let it be. I am incorporating my experiences into Cloud and at the same time, trying to keep the element that makes Cloud who he is.

I believe this is going to be the most challenging story I've ever written and I appreciate your patience and liking this story so far. I can't promise I will be speedy with the chapters and they do need to be thought thoroughly. Until then.


	3. Chapter 3

Note: The timeline is set around Crisis Core. However, I do not know the game plotline very well and is trying to make head and tail of it. I am following it very, very loosely but making up this as I go along. I had spent several days going over the Wikia pages on Crisis Core plotline and managed to come up with a plotline to work with for this story and I am watching the movie on YouTube from Crisis Core game.

Enjoy.

* * *

 **Chapter 3: Crisis within ShinRa**

The newly instated lieutenant general approached the general of the ShinRa army as he stood watching the soldiers train on the field in different groups. It was a lovely day, warm and sunny. A second class commander was shouting insults to a group of cadets and another one was showing the technique of a limit break to a group of third class soldiers. Zack stood beside Sephiroth silently for a few minutes before asking, "What is the plan now?"

Sephiroth turned his head to his friend. He knew what his friend was referring to. It had been a rough few months when Angeal Hewley and Genesis Rhapsodos decided to leave and taking a third of their soldiers with them and there has been no reason given to why they defected. It had hit Soldier big time and Sephiroth didn't like it.

It was a betrayal of Angeal and Genesis that hit him home because he had considered them his closest friends. He knew Zack was smarting because Angeal was his mentor and looked up to him. He replied after a moment of silence, "It is a very large number we have to make up for. It will mean we need to change things around here to prevent it from happening again."

The black-haired lieutenant general exhaled heavily, running his hand across the back of his neck. "That's going to be hell to work with, now we have to report to Heidegger." Not only the two first-class Soldiers defected, the director of Soldier, Lazard Deusericus had turned up missing as well.

Sephiroth tilted his head forward once and turned back to the training ground. "Yes. I am considering investigating myself. But as for now, we have a large gap to fill as soon as possible. Wutai War may be over, but we should always be prepared."

"So, mass recruitment, then?" Zack asked as he turned to look across the field. He could see how the missing third had affected the numbers of soldiers on the training field. It used to be robust and many soldiers training in the variety of techniques. But now, there were only five groups and the field felt bigger and emptier.

"Yes. But I am considering something else," Sephiroth softly said. "Women."

Zack's eyes widened, "What? Women in Soldier?"

Sephiroth nodded and gestured toward a group of Turks training. "They have women in their division and proved that they can do as many Soldiers can. We can set up a division for women and have the first group trained by the best of the second class. Within a year, we will have second-class female soldiers ready to train few more groups. That will bring up our numbers back some by then."

"And the rest?" Zack asked as he considered Sephiroth's idea. He liked it but had some concerns. "How would we be able to restore the numbers? Enlistment is down lately too."

Sephiroth turned to Zack. "I am aware of that. I am looking into Security Department and Roboguard group too. I need to look into what we can change here to improve performance. Performance is also in the red as well."

Zack whistled. Security Department made up most of enlisted that failed Solider exam and was directed to become a security and other jobs in the ShinRa Corporations. Roboguard were composed of mostly 3rd Class Soldiers that couldn't pass 2nd Class Soldier exam. "Damn. That's bad. Look like we have a lot of work to do."

"Yes, unfortunately."

"At least Wutai War is over."

"For now," Sephiroth muttered softly, hoping the loss of the third of Soldiers would not give Wutai any idea. They were vulnerable as it is.

* * *

The boardroom of the ShinRa Headquarter was full with the executives of all of the department within the company. The oval meeting table was crowded. President ShinRa sat at the far end of the table and around the table were; Rufus ShinRa the Vice President, Heidegger of the Military Department, Scarlet Rouge of the Weaponry Department, Professor Hojo of the Mako and Health Science Department, Tseng of the Turk, and Sephiroth representing the Soldier along with Lieutenant Zachary Fair. The bigwigs of the entire ShinRa Headquarter in one room was something and it meant business. Several others included personal secretaries and doctors, standing against the wall around the room.

ShinRa spoke, his voice deep and booming, "All right, settle down. We're going to start this meeting now." He glanced over at the woman sitting in the corner, clacking away at the typewriter, recording the meeting. He motioned a finger across his neck sharply and she stopped. "It's going off the record for the time being." He eyed everyone around the room. "What will be said stay in this room." Several heads nodded. "All right, Lazard Deusericus has clearly defected the company. His positions will be handed over to Heidegger. General Sephiroth, your Soldiers are to report to him from now on." Sephiroth shifted his eyes to his left to the burly man with wiry bears down his chest. He found the man to be pompous and unbrilliant, occasionally an idiot and there were times that he wondered what were all the medals he displayed on his jacket were for.

ShinRa continued, "Two of my Generals has disappeared and with them, took a third of my military force. I want this fixed as soon as possible." He turned to Sephiroth, "I believe you have some suggestion, am I correct?"

Sephiroth nodded. "Yes, I do. I am looking in at the Security Department and Roboguard and is planning to have every one of them retested. I would like to incorporate both departments into Soldier. However, it would not make up for the loss. I have another idea." He glanced over to Tseng, "The Turks has female on their force. They have proved themselves to be reliable and can do as much as men do. I suggest to open up a division for women in Soldier. In a year time, we will have twice the number we lost."

ShinRa rubbed his chin. "I don't know about that. Would that cause some issue with the current Soldiers?"

Heidegger rumbled, "Yes it will! They would be distracting to men! I say no." He pounded his thick fist on the table.

Scarlet shot him a glare. "Says who, fatso!" She stood and leaned over the table angrily at the man. "I was in the army training corporation back then. But Doctor Hollander decided the mako was too much for the women and shut it down immediately. That's how I ended up in the Weaponry department! You should be grateful because it was women that produced weapons for the soldiers! If it weren't for us…" She sat down and crossed her legs, "you wouldn't be sitting there."

Sephiroth leaned against his fist, a tiny smile on his lip. He had known of a small women group that was trained years ago but didn't realize Scarlet was part of it. He knew Scarlet's entire department was composed of women workers and she refused any men to work within her department. No matter how much he didn't like the woman, he had to admit she was useful and would aid him in reinstating women division.

"I agree that Doctor Hollander once did deuced that mako has an ill effect on women. But with my research and test, I have found a different approach and it would work. I am in for instating the women division. It would aid greatly to some of my projects." Hojo's weedy voice carried across the room.

ShinRa turned to Sephiroth, "I give you permission to start women division. Work with Tseng. But I also want you and Lieutenant Fair to stay on the mission you have been given." He was referring to tracking down Angeal and Genesis and put end to them for defecting the ShinRa Company.

"Yes, sir," Sephiroth replied. There was silence around the room. Sephiroth took the chance and spoke again, "Soldier program also need to be reconstructed. It's flawed. If I could change it, it would also help to improve the number as well."

ShinRa snapped his head back to the general and narrowed his eyes. "No. Leave it be. Just work on instating the women division and do your job as you are assigned to."

Sephiroth sat back in his chair silently, narrowing his eyes slightly. So, there it is. On top of the mission he and Zack had been given, he had uncovered few things that were questionable and learned the foundation of Soldier program was right on it. The entire program needed to be reconstructed and thoroughly investigated, however, the president's immediate shot down was a big clue that he was covering something up. He decided to leave it alone for the time being. He looked over at Rufus and saw the young man staring at him. He raised a silver eyebrow to the younger ShinRa and he looked away. Hmm.

The rest of the meeting went on with what needed to be done and agreement that the defects of Angeal and Genesis and the impact upon the ShinRa Company were an immediate priority. The meeting wrapped up quickly before Zack could utter a yawn.

Sephiroth and Zack went to the elevator to go up to their office on the 60th floor. Just as the door was about to close, a hand shot through and the door opened to reveal Rufus ShinRa. He stepped on and turned to face the door silently. The elevator moved up a floor before Rufus pressed the stop button. He turned to the camera and flicked the switch off and turned to the two Soldiers.

Sephiroth raised an eyebrow at the young man. Rufus crossed his arms, his white leather jacket creaking with movement. "Keep investigating with the Soldier Program, I know you both have started. There is a reason why the ShinRa Company is crumbling underneath us as we speak and it lies deep within the Soldier program."

Zack frowned, "Are you saying the whole ShinRa company is laid on Soldier department?"

Rufus shifted his grey eyes to the raven-haired Soldier. "My father was an idiot to depend on the Soldier program for the entire company. If Soldiers diminishes, the entire company is for naught." He flicked his mussed hair out of his face. "It's about time for a change. He has been in his seat far too long and he has lost the vision of the company. However, I can't step up until he loses some more of his power. As you know, the Turks report to me." He turned to Sephiroth. "I want the Soldiers too. But until then, you must find out what's going on. When you do, let me know what you decide."

Sephiroth crossed his arms. "How would we know you would not screw this up like your father did?"

Rufus chuckled. "You're right, he did screw it up. But you have no idea how much he screwed up. You are a big part of the big mess. Father doesn't want to lose you and he thinks he has a tight rein on you. However…" He glanced at his nails and started to clean them. "I know you don't like to be leashed up. I would suggest you to start looking into Doctor Hollander." He pressed the button and the door opened and he stepped out. "Oh yeah, if you don't mind," he pointed to the camera. "One last thing. Don't trust Hojo either."

The door closed and the elevator started to move. Sephiroth glanced at the camera and said, "Before I turn that thing on. Zack, we have a lot more on our hands. We need to find Angeal and Genesis and find out what they know."

"I agree," Zack muttered as he leaned against the glass. "I don't like where this is going."

"Me either. It seems we can't trust anyone but ourselves." Sephiroth replied and flicked the switch on to the camera.

* * *

"Oh! Awright! Gongaga fruits are finally in!" Zack exclaimed as he spotted several familiar fruits from his regions and rushed toward the stalls.

Sephiroth shook his head in amusement as he languidly inspects from stall to stall. They had decided to go down below the plates on their day off to visit the marketplace. It was Farmer Market weekend and he wanted to stock his kitchen with some delicacies from different places. He also felt that he and Zack deserved some break from the stressful week at the ShinRa Headquarter.

He paused at a stall that sold Wutaian dates and figs. He inspected them and accepted some samples offered. Munching on the sweet dried dates, his eyes caught something unusual and he looked up to see a young woman approach the stall and gestured to the man silently what she wanted. He watched her carefully through his fringes, appearing to not stare at her. The entire exchange was silent, but he was able to glean that she wanted a pound of dates and several whole fresh figs. The man bagged them and singled with his hands how much they cost. Sephiroth saw the woman's face grow furious and her hands started to fly, blurring and her voice came out in angry unintelligible tones.

"Well, excuse me! I don't understand you!" The man shouted back. "Stupid woman! Do you want the dates and figs? They're 5 Gil!"

Sephiroth immediately realized what happened. He cleared his throat and the merchant turned to him and went pale. "I believe the lady," he started and turned to her who immediately dropped her furious flurry of hands, becoming silent in surprise., "is trying to tell you that it is 4 Gil." He held up four fingers and nodded, giving her a questionable look.

She nodded her head furiously and gestured to the figs and the dates with the prices and ticked her fingers off to add them up and came up with 4 fingers. She rounded up to the merchant and gave him an accusing look and her hands started to gesticulate furiously again. Sephiroth watched and caught a finger pointed angrily at the man and her expression shifted, indicating something about herself and her ears. He was not sure exactly what she meant but the context applied.

He reached out and touched her shoulder and she stilled, glancing at him. He turned to the merchant, "She is saying you are using her deafness to take an advantage of her and charging her more than you would charge the others."

The man grew red and mumbled under his breath, jerkily handing the bag toward the woman. She glowered and slammed four gil on the table and grabbed the bag. She turned away and took a deep breath and calmed down. She looked up to Sephiroth and bowed her head, taking her palm to her lips and lowering it in an arc. He understood she was telling him 'Thank you'.

He bowed his head and imitated her gesture, "You're welcome." She beamed and started walk away.

He watched her and realized he wanted to ask her some questions. He considered the possibility of the communication barrier but he had managed to break down the wall a moment ago. Making up his mind, he ran after her and touched her shoulder.

She jerked and turned around in surprise. She waved her hand, palm up back and forth with a quizzical expression.

Sephiroth glanced down and pointed to her hand, "That means 'what'?" She blinked and smiled, nodding. He saw her eyes were trained on his face, especially his mouth. He gestured toward her and held a finger to his ear, "You are deaf, right?"

She nodded and spoke slowly, "Yes." But it came out nasally and he was surprised to hear her voice. "I don't speak well."

He bobbed his head slightly and gestured to the cafe nearby and made sure she was able to see his face and spoke clearly, "I have some questions. Join me for a drink?"

She glanced at the cafe and shrugged, gesturing for him to lead the way. As soon they sat down, a waiter popped up and spoke in A drawl from the lower plates. Sephiroth replied he wanted a tea and gave the woman a look to see what she wanted.

"I'd tee." She said.

The waiter frowned, "I'm sorry, what?"

She looked frustrated and repeated, "I'd tee."

Sephiroth caught on and replied, "She wanted iced tea."

"Oh." The waiter scoffed and jotted it on his note and muttered under his breath, "Weird accent, not so bright."

Sephiroth frowned and he found he wanted to retort but the waiter had left and turned to the woman. She appeared nonchalant and oblivious to what had transpired. He sighed. Once she looked up to him, he said, "I am Sephiroth."

She nodded and gestured to the billboard high above the top of the building across the street. He glanced up and nearly groaned, his profile was emblazoned across the billboard advertising Soldier for the ShinRa. She giggled at his expression and replied, "My name is Ara."

He gave her a smile. "Ara." He wondered how he would start and decided to just throw it out there. "You're deaf... how did you talk?" he made sure he motioned along with his words.

She watched his lips and his gesture and smiled. Her hands flew but slower and at the same time, she spoke. He found her voice unusual and strange but not bothersome. Her pitches rose and fell and he figured she was not able to hear her own voice to keep the pitches even and her grammar was broken. "I was born deaf and doctors can't fix me. There is Deaf school in section 3. I go there, learn to sign and to talk."

He nodded, indicating he understood her. The waiter came back and handed them their drinks and quickly retreated. He took a sip and asked, "Is it hard to live as a deaf person?" She cocked her head, frowning. He realized he forgot to slow down and asked again slowly and gestured in the best way he could.

She laughed and shook her head. Her hands flew again and he found it fascinating to watch the pattern and the different movement and shape they made. "Sometimes. Like in the market, people think I am stupid and try to take advantage." She sighed and continued, "but I know no other ways of life. I live this way my whole life and it's all I know."

"Don't you want to hear?" He asked.

Her three fingers open and closed several times and he realized it was 'no'. He tried with his own hand and she helped him to correctly form the sign. He found himself amazed.

"Why?" He asked.

She shrugged. "Planet made me as I am. I live and will die as I am. It's my journey."

He was taken aback by her wisdom and took another drink of his tea, considering her words.

She smiled and waved at him. He looked at her again and she asked, "Why you want to know about me?"

He placed his empty cup down, giving her a gentle smile. "Not you. Your deafness." He gestured to her ear. "Someone I know is deaf and I want to learn more."

She smiled, "Maybe I know the person? I know all deaf people here in the city."

He shook his head. "He lives far away. He wrote to me and I got curious."

"Ooh." She giggled. "Not often I meet people willing to talk to me like you do. You have knacks of learning."

He rolled his eyes and gestured to the billboard. "I am a general of the ShinRa Army, it's my training to learn and adapt to any type of situations."

She laughed again. "Is good skills. You want to learn sign language for your friend?"

He found himself wondering if he should. What would be the chance of ever meeting the kid that wrote to him? He knew several languages and was proficient in every one of them and sign language would be an added bonus. It would be useful for Soldiers at the same time. From the short time conversing with Ara, he saw that there was a fine detail to each gesture and how they were used. It was much elaborate than the standard gesture Soldiers had to use for their missions.

He finally replied, "Maybe someday I will want to learn."

She pulled out her bag and dug through it before producing a card. "My contact. If you want to learn. I teach at a school for little deaf kids."

He blinked and took the card. He saw her name, address, and phone number. He frowned and pointed to the numbers. "Phone?"

She laughed and pulled out her cell phone. "Text!"

His eyes widened, realizing the benefit of texting and smiled. "I see. Thank you."

"Maybe you come and visit the school, children would love to meet you."

He nodded. "I'll look into that." He held out his hand and she took it. They shook hands and she stood up, bowing and signing, 'thank you'.

He stood up and bowed, repeating her gesture, 'you're welcome'. She beamed and waved at him before leaving.

He sat down and glanced at the card. She was a teacher for the small Deaf school in section 3. Perhaps he should arrange a visit to observe a new world he had just discovered.

"Oh, the girl's gone." The waiter came back and collected the cups. "She doesn't seem smart, the way she talks was funny."

Sephiroth narrowed his eyes, grabbed the waiter's collar and pulled him down, nearly growling,

"That woman has done far more than you ever could hope for. You have no place to judge others without knowing the person. How would you feel if someone talks about your limp?" The man paled. Sephiroth gave him a half smile that made him whitened even more. "I see. Your leg, they're artificial?" He reached out with a free hand and knocked his knee, confirming with wooden sound.

The waiter stammered and jumped back as Sephiroth let him go. "All right, I'm sorry. Here's your check." He turned and ran off.

Sephiroth glanced at the check and fished out the correct amount of gil, minus the tip and left it on the table. He got up and went to find Zack.

* * *

"Yes, this will work," Tseng said as he handed the paper to Sephiroth. "We can start recruiting women next week after a barrack is ready." Sephiroth took the paper back and placed it in the folder. Tseng glanced down and his eyebrow rose slightly, having caught a glimpse of something interesting. "Your other ideas with the Security Department and Roboguard are ideal. However, you need to look at the bigger picture and see how they can fit in. There's a reason why the two division was set up."

Sephiroth looked up at the Wutaian man. "I'm working on that. You agree with it?" He pulled the proposal he was drafting.

"Yes. However, forget the proposal. It will not pass the president's desk. Just do it." Tseng replied.

Sephiroth glanced down at his paper. He had been working on recalling all of the men that had failed the initial tests and give them a second try and asset which positions would work best for them. It was one of the flaw in the system he believed that needed changing and figured it would be the best place to start. He placed it in the file and caught sight of the letter from the boy who wrote to him several months ago. Perhaps with the change, the kid would be able to enlist. He would need to write to the boy soon. "Thank you, Tseng."

"No problem. Rufus also wishes to pass this message along; 'Get on with it'."

"Doctor Hollander, I presume?"

"Yes."

Sephiroth bowed his head and watched as Tseng leave his office. He rubbed his chin and turned to his computer and pulled up Hollander's file and started to read.

* * *

Zack looked up suddenly and sighed, grousing from where he sat cross-legged on the floor between narrow alley of long bookshelves. "I thought you were someone else."

Sephiroth approached him and eyed the strewn books and files surrounding Zack. "I'll try to be noisy next time."

"Don't bother. You never make any noise anyway." Zack muttered and stood up, stretching. "Hours of going through these files. I don't think we'll find what we're looking for here." He picked up the files and started to stuff them on the shelves, not caring they didn't go there.

"The only lead we have is that Hojo and Doctor Hollander were working on some projects under Professor Gast some twenty years ago. But that's enough for now." Sephiroth said and turned, walking toward the door. "I have enough of the investigation. We need to work on fine tuning the women division before the recruitment launches tomorrow."

Zack clapped his hands in excitement, the clap echoed in the vast dusty library and he winced. "Oops." He followed Sephiroth and spotted a book in his hand. "What you got there?"

Sephiroth held up the book for Zack to see over his shoulder. "Sign Language. Found it while I was searching for Project S. Thought I'd check it out."

"Was it because that deaf lady said you had a knack for sign language? Or because of the kid who wrote you the letter?" Zack asked slyly. Sephiroth didn't reply as they reached the elevator.

Zack smirked and pressed the button for the 60th floor to their offices and leaned back against the frame and looked out the glass panel as the city fell below them. He supposed the whole project of reformatting Solider was giving Sephiroth a purpose. He glanced over to the said man and studied his profile. He was skimming in the book he had borrowed from the library. When the war was over and with the whole defecting of Angeal and Genesis, it had hit the man hard and he was seriously considering taking a page out of the two other generals' book and disappear on his own. Zack didn't like it and worry about Sephiroth's mental and emotional state being. Then, the letter from the kid came across his desk and a spark came back in Sephiroth's eyes. Zack knew it was fate that the letter ended up in his mail and was glad for it. It made Sephiroth stay and rediscover his purpose. But where was this path taking them? He hoped it would be something good.

The elevator beeped their destination arrival and the door opened. They stepped out and went directly to Sephiroth's office. He went to his desk while Zack flopped down on the couch and pulled some files from the coffee table and started to go through them.

Several hours later, Zack laid back on the couch and rubbed his forehead. Pouring through the schematics for the women division was a headache. There was a lot to consider and go through and change things to fit their needs. He looked up to see Sephiroth thumb through the book he had borrowed earlier and smirked. He closed his eyes and exhaled, figuring out a short nap would alleviate a headache that was pounding in his head.

Sephiroth flipped the page of the book he was reading. He was amazed that the ShinRa headquarter managed to have a copy of this book. It was old and hardly ever used and he guessed the ShinRa in its rise to power had decided to install the library and fill it up with whatever book they could get their hands on back in the late 70s. The book was one of them.

He paused and read the page he fell upon and moved his hand and fingers in accordance with the pictures examples provided. His fingers were shaped as if holding something cylindrical and bringing it up to his mouth. His eyebrow rose as he read the fine print describing the sign of the hands he had just mimicked. The description made it easier to remember. He had just signed "drink". He tried it again and was pleased that it was a simple sign language to remember. He flipped the pages over and scanned different signs in the book. Apparently, there was a sign or two for almost every basic words and there were rules to how to phrase them in grammars. Sign language is much more complex than he thought.

"Here you go, report on weapons for Soldiers and the final tally for the month." Came a scathing voice with pitches that made him cringe inwardly above him.

"Thank you, Ms. Rouge. You can put in the box." He swept his hand over to the intake box at the corner of the desk without looking up.

"What must I do to get you to call me Scarlet?" the blond haired and green eyed woman asked. She shifted and pulled her red dress up slightly to sit on his desk, exposing a knee. She smirked, her red lips curling into the corner as she saw his annoyed glare toward her hips. She knew he hated anyone imposing his personal space and the desk was considered his personal space. She glanced at the book he was reading and pick it up, flipping through the page. "Sign Language for Beginner?" she asked and held it as if it were offensive. "Why are you reading this old thing? Deafness has been cured, thanks to our scientists."

Sephiroth took the book back and gave her a death stare. "You would be surprised that even you know some sign language yourself."

Scarlet gasped as if offended and stood up. "Like what?"

Sephiroth gave a half smile and she immediately felt uncomfortable. It was the famed 'smile of death' of his. He raised his fist with the palm facing toward himself and the smile on his face pulled, showing a hint of white teeth. Then his middle finger came up.

She gasped in rage and twirled around, stomping out of the office.

Zack burst out laughing from the couch. "Oh, ho, ho! I never thought you'd one up her like that!" Sephiroth smirked slightly as he returned to the book.

* * *

Note:

Some scenes here reflected what I experienced. I speak and read lips really well to the point that people have a hard time believing that I can't hear. But, I don't know for the life of me that waiters and waitresses everywhere CAN'T understand me when I say, "Iced tea". Maybe I am pronouncing it wrong like Ara did.

Yes, sometime people would take advantage of the deaf and the blind people and it's really bad. I've caught people trying to pull a fast one on me and I am smart enough to put my feet down and tell them off.

Sephiroth flicking off Scarlet. I've always wanted to do that and now had the opportunity. We do use that sign too. Unfortunately for me, my hubby likes to use it too much and it's annoying (he's also deaf like me but born hearing while I was natural born deaf, a little more into that next chapter when we return to Cloud).


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Travel Woes**

Cloud stood at the base of a very large rocket standing in the center of the town. He peered up at the top of the rocket. He shook his head, amazed at the sheer size and the idea of it going to space. He wondered how that worked.

He had left Nibelheim early in the morning, hitching a ride on the back of the transport truck that had come into town from Rocket Town with their weekly deliveries. He had said his goodbyes to his mother and Tifa and left in the quiet of the morning before the town woke up. He was excited and scared of the new adventure. Tifa was crying and hugging him several times before she had to leave so she would not hold him back. Cloud's mother shed few tears but knew it was something Cloud needed to do. She had more faith in him than anyone else and handed him an old PHS that once belonged to his father. It still worked and it had a phone number saved in it, to call his mother's PHS and it has a text feature. Cloud was happy to have it and thanked his mother.

The journey from Nibelheim to Rocket Town was five-hour bumpy ride in the back of the truck and he was glad it was uneventful. The road was clear and the day as promising to be clear and sunny. All he knew he needed to get to Rocket Town in order to get to Midgar.

When the truck stopped, his first fear was he had gone to the wrong town. But once he saw the towering rocket standing in the center of the makeshift town, he was relieved he was in the right place at least. His next problem was to find out how to get to Midgar from there. He does not wish to be stranded there.

He glanced around and started to walk, observing his surrounding, taking in the sights of the people, buildings and the environment. Rocket Town was vastly different from Nibelheim. The people were more boisterous and the building was not standard, but haphazardly built from metal sheeting, wood panels, and whitewashed paints. There was industrial feel to the town while Nibelheim was cozy and traditionalist. He loved Rocket Town. He wondered what Midgar would look like and it made him excited.

He paused in front of a small building that looked like a size of an office. The sign read "Travel" and he shrugged to himself. It might be the place he needed to check. He pushed the door open and the bell rang, but he did not hear it. He stepped into the one-room building and saw a couple of desks. The first one was facing the door and the other was in the back corner. The man looked up and pushed his glasses up.

"Hello, what can I do for you?" The man asked.

Cloud approached him hesitantly and wondered how he could ask his question. He glanced around and spotted a notepad and gestured to it, asking wordlessly if he could have it. The man frowned and looked at his notepad, he handed it over confusingly.

"Uh, excuse me?" The man asked as he watched Cloud grab a pen from the holder made from the coffee tin on his desk and started to scribble something down. "Hey…. Hey kid."

The other man in the back corner looked up and asked, "What's going on?"

"I don't know. He just asked for the notepad and started to write. He didn't say anything but is ignoring me. Rude kid."

The second man frowned and watched Cloud kept on writing and stood up. "Hey, kid." He waved in front of Cloud's face and nearly jumped back as the blonde looked up and handed him the paper. "Uh," He read the paper and nodded. "Move over, Dan. He can't hear. Let me take care of it."

The first man's eyes widened and stood up, letting the second man sit down in his place. "Huh, he's deaf?"

"Yeah, go and take a break." The second man muttered and turned to Cloud, holding the notepad, speaking. "You want to travel to Midgar, huh?"

Cloud watched the man's lips and caught 'travel' and 'Midgar' and nodded, smiling. He waited as the man flip the paper over and started to write. The other man had gone out and he glanced around the office, taking in the appearance of it. Posters of different places were strewn on the wall, most of the colors had faded. Pictures of rockets, airship and other types of vehicles were posted on one side of the wall while there was a large graph of different destination, dates, and times. He could see the weekly delivery to Nibelheim posted on the graph. Before he could read any more, the man waved the paper at him.

Cloud took the paper and read it. There is an airship heading to Costa Del Sol the next day and he could purchase a ticket to get to Costa Del Sol. He also would have to purchase a ticket in Costa Del Sol to board a ship to head to Junon Base. From there, he would need to find a transport to Midgar. It was as far the man could inform him. Unless he wanted to wait two weeks and there is an airship heading directly to Midgar from Rocket Town. Cloud counted his fingers and figured the first method was faster if he had his luck. He didn't want to stay in Rocket Town for two weeks twiddling his thumbs. He pointed to the first choice and gestured how much it would cost him.

The man eyed Cloud and nodded. He pulled out a handbook and flipped through it. Cloud pulled out his wallet and waited. The man turned the book around and pointed to the cost of the travel. Cloud saw it would cost him 35 gil. It was a lot but he followed the line to the description and read it. It was reasonable because he would ride a passenger airship from Rocket Town to Costa Del Sol and the flight would be three hours. He nodded, fishing out the right amount and handed it over to the man.

"All right," the man said as he took the money and clicked on his computer and hit print. "Don't be late." He handed the paper to Cloud with the ticket information on it. He pointed to the timestamp on it.

Cloud glanced at it and gestured where he needs to go to find the airship. The man grinned and pointed to the office floor. "Come back here tomorrow, I will show you where." He tapped to his watch, "Be here an hour before. If you are late, no go."

Cloud was able to catch all of that and nodded. He bowed and said, "thanks."

The man's eyebrow rose as he heard Cloud's voice. "Huh." But before he could ask, the boy was gone.

* * *

Cloud watched the woman next to her strap herself in with the belts and made sure they were secure. He fumbled with his belts and pulled them together and managed to strap himself in. He swallowed and watched the other people do the same. A man came out of the cockpit in the front and started to shout over the roar of the airship engine. Cloud tried to read his lips but failed because the man was too far. He grimaced as he held onto the straps crossing his chest. He watched as the man turn around and disappear into the cockpit. He had never flown before and had no idea what to expect. He had watched few take off and land the day before.

The airship started to lift and regret fought to rise in his chest as they rose higher in the air and started to move. He bit back a whimper as he felt nausea hit him hard.

"You all right, honey?" The woman next to him asked. He glanced over at her and shrugged, looking a bit green. She reached into her bag she had with her and pulled out a small box and gave him a tablet from it. "Helps with motion sickness." He eyed the white thing warily and she showed him the box.

He took the tablet and nodded his thanks. He took it and held onto the straps and asked, "Is it like this always?"

"First time?"

"Yes."

"You get used to it."

"Oh, okay." Cloud murmured and closed his eyes as he felt his nausea start to settle. The woman shook her head in amusement and left him alone, feeling sorry for the kid.

* * *

Cloud's eyes were wide as he looked around the town of Costa Del Sol. It looked amazing and the sands were bright yellow. The sea was glittering blue. He wanted to explore the place so much. He had never seen the ocean before and he was awed once the airship had landed.

He walked toward the ticket booth nearby the dock, remembering the man in Rocket Town had told him to get a ticket to Junon Base at the booth.

He went up to the window and saw a young woman sitting in the booth wearing a lime green bikini. Her hair was dyed bright purple and cut in asymmetrical layers. She looked bored and was filing her bright blue nails. Cloud stared at her, wondering how colorful people can get. He tapped the window until she rolled her head in his direction.

"Yes?" She drawled. Cloud pointed to the sign on the glass, specifically on Junon Base sign. She narrowed her eyes and shrugged. "Ship's leaving in an hour. You want the ticket?"

His eyes widened as he caught few of what she said and asked, "Hour? Now?"

"Can't you hear me? I said an hour. So do you want the ticket or not?" She asked annoyed.

Cloud glared at her and snapped, "Yes, I can't hear you! I want a ticket to Junon Base."

She rolled her eyes and clicked on the small laptop she had with her and printed the ticket. "50 gil."

"Fifteen?" Cloud asked.

"No. Five-zero." She groused and held up a palm to indicate five and curled it up into the circle for zero. "Fifty. Got that?"

Cloud sighed and pulled out enough gil and slid them over to her. "Yeah. Ticket?" He held his hand out and she slapped it in his hand.

The girl glanced at her watch on her wrist. "If you hurry, you might get on. Oh, no refund."

He stared at her aghast. "What?"

She made a shooing motion. "Go, hurry." And gestured for big, "Big ship!" Then she pointed to the large ship on the dock some distance away. He stammered and gripped the ticket, running around the booth and down the dock toward the large ship. All that, mentally cursing the girl for being difficult and bemoaning he wouldn't be able to stay in Costa Del Sol long enough.

He skidded and turned onto the gangway that leads up to the ship. A man was about to close the door and he shouted, "Wait!"

"Sorry, kid, we're going now. Wait for the next ship."

Cloud hurried and grabbed the door. "Please. I'm here."

Cloud noticed the man looked up and over his shoulder. He turned to see a young man with shocking red hair tied back in a pigtail and wearing a rumpled blue suit. "Yo, open up." He held up an identification card that made the ship agent's eyes widened. Cloud stepped aside as the man walked past him. "Let him on too." He gestured to the blonde.

The man made an exasperated noise and pushed the door open enough for the man and Cloud to get on. "Ticket." Cloud handed him the ticket and he took one look before nodding.

Cloud sighed in relief and slipped past the door and waited as the man shut the door and spinning the bolt to lock it.

"Hey, kid." The red-head said as Cloud turned to him. "You're lucky I was there."

Cloud nodded, bowing. "Thank you."

"Where are you heading?"

Cloud blinked, he had only gotten 'heading' and tried to fit in the context of the question the man appears to be asking. He finally replied, "Midgar."

The red-head chuckled as he ran his fingers through his messy hair. "Ah, good luck with that. It's a big city for a country kid like you." He turned and walked away.

Cloud watched the red-head disappear around the hallway and turned to the steward who looked impatient. The steward gestured toward the hallway and walked past. Cloud followed him and was shown to his quarter. He glanced at the ticket and saw he was to share a room with 3 other passengers and the trip would take three days over the ocean.

* * *

The ocean was rough; Cloud had barely explored the passenger ship because he had spent most of the time in his cabin quelling the queasy sea-sickness. He was grateful when the ship docked at Junon Base and hurried off the ship.

He remembered the guy in Rocket Town had instructed him to check the transportation information booth at the dock to get the last leg of his journey to Midgar. He glanced around at the busy dock and found himself overwhelmed. It was easily three time the number of people in Nibelheim at the dock milling about, arriving and leaving. He gripped his bag close and pushed his way to the other side of the boardwalk, glancing around.

"Hey, watch it!" A man muttered as he bumped into Cloud and hurried off. None of it reached his ears. He kept on looking around, trying to keep his body close in as he maneuvered through the crowd.

Cloud spotted a sign hanging down from the roof rafter on the other side of the boardwalk, it said 'information' and he hurried over to find a long line before a booth. He sighed and went to stand in the line.

"Hey, kid." The red-head approached Cloud and clapped onto his shoulder. He withdrew his hand as Cloud jumped in surprise and whirled around to face him. "Whoa, easy!"

Cloud recognized the red-head and shook his head, embarrassed for jumping in fright. "Uh, sorry. Can't hear." He gestured to his ears.

"Oh." The redhead's green eyes widened. "You're trying to get a ticket to Midgar?" He gestured to the information booth.

Cloud frowned and shook his head, he couldn't understand the red-head very well. He had an unusual accent and it was difficult for him to read it on the man's lips. "Sorry, what did you say?"

The red-head blinked and smiled and started to wave his hands around. _"You know sign language?"_ He signed at the same time.

Cloud's eyes widened in a pleased surprise and replied, _"Yes. Sorry, I can't hear. It's hard to understand you. You speak differently."_

" _Name's Reno. I asked if you are getting a ticket to Midgar."_ Reno replied, grinning like a madman.

Cloud felt exhilarated to run into someone who knew sign language. It felt like burden and stress of trying to understand dissolve. _"Yes. I'm Cloud Strife."_

Reno nodded, smirking. _"The next available transportation is in five days. Everyone's always trying to get into Midgar and there's only one train from here to there."_ He saw Cloud's face fall. He mock-punched the blonde's shoulder and winked, _"Come on. I got a ride to Midgar."_

Cloud perked, feeling a mixture of excitement and confusion as he followed Reno through the crowd. They passed several gates and Reno waved at a couple of Soldiers standing guard at the end of the dock. They left the dock and into what looked like a base. Cloud's eyes widened as he realized where he was and hurried to keep with Reno's long stride. He tugged on his jacket at the elbow. _"We're on ShinRa Soldier Base?"_

" _No. This is the ShinRa Navy Base. I am a Turks. We're going there."_ Reno replied and gestured to the helipad with a helicopter ready. Cloud's jaw dropped as he stared at the helicopter. _"I'm not supposed to bring civilians but I like you and why the hell not?"_

Cloud jerked back slightly and waved his hands. _"Uh, how can I compensate for the ride?"_

Reno laughed and replied, _"Consider it a favor and you owe me one. I'll ask for it when the time comes."_

Cloud shrugged and followed Reno onto the helicopter and sat where he was directed. Reno pulled the headphone on and adjusted the mouthpieces. He glanced over to the pilot and gave a thumb up.

"We're not taking off until the kid put his on." The pilot said grouchily.

Reno laughed and glanced over his shoulder to where Cloud was sitting, strapped in and looking frightful with a wild look on his face. He waved at him and got his attention. _"Pilot says you have to put the headphone on. Just humor him even if you don't need it."_ He gestured to the headphone next to Cloud.

Cloud picked it up and fumbled with it, pulling it on over his head and grimacing as the padding smacked around his ears.

"He can't hear," Reno replied to the pilot. "But he got it on."

"Oh. Whatever." The pilot groused and the helicopter engine turned on.

Cloud watched as the blades above started to move, whipping around slowly before increasing speed. He gripped onto his harness and swallowed as he could feel the rumbling of the engine and the whirring of the blades above him. Reno grinned and gave Cloud a thumbs-up.

The helicopter lifted into the sky and turned taking off toward the mountain that surrounded the north part of Junon Base and went over it. Cloud watched from the window to the world below, fascinated how the people and the base became smaller and vanish from his sight. The vast sea spread far and wide to the west as they flew north.

Reno turned again after a while, waving to Cloud. " _Why are you going to Midgar?"_

Cloud hesitated. Reno was Turks and knew it was one of the division within ShinRa that was similar to Soldier but dealt with shady business. He wasn't sure how to reply. He decided it wouldn't hurt to tell him. _"I want to join Soldier."_

This surprised Reno. _"You, Solider? Why?"_

Cloud was now surprised. He had assumed Reno would laugh at him and tell him that he couldn't join. But instead, he asked why. _"I want to be like my father. He was in Soldier a long time ago."_

Reno nodded _. "Good. Soldiers are recruiting now and need more people who want to join."_

Cloud smiled and then asked. _"How do you know sign language?"_

The red-head Turk grinned. " _My sister's deaf. She lost her hearing when she was 5 from measles and ever since, she couldn't hear. What about you? How did you become deaf?"_

" _I was born deaf. Always been like this."_

Reno's eyes widened. _"Seriously? That's rare. There are only very few deaf people who are naturally born deaf. I know someone like you. But she doesn't talk as well as you do. You talk good."_

Cloud smiled, nodding. _"My mom taught me to talk. She believed it would help me in the world. So far, it has some. Not always. You're hard to read lips."_

" _Sorry!"_ Reno laughed, _"It's the Midgardian lower slum accent. If you're going to be in Soldier, you're going have to read-lips a lot more than usual. But I'll sign for you when we hang out."_

" _Thanks,"_ Cloud replied and Reno turned away, replying to the pilot's question. He glanced at the window and saw a dark shape in the middle of a great plain. It was Midgar and his eyes widened as he watched the city come closer. He remembered how his father had described the city when he was younger. It was exactly as he described, and more. Excitement rose in him as the helicopter approached Midgar.

Cloud was enthralled in the large city and couldn't press anymore to the glass plane of the door, taking in the city as they flew over. His excitement became nervousness as they landed right on top of the ShinRa building in the center of the city on the helipad. Once the blades slowed down, Reno unstrapped and hopped off, gesturing for Cloud to follow. He hurried after the red-head and into the building.

" _Usually civilians are not allowed above the 45th floor. But follow me, I'll get you down to the first floor and then you're on your own."_ Reno said as they headed down the stairs.

Cloud nodded. _"Thank you, really appreciate the ride."_

" _A favor for a favor."_ Reno reminded. _"Come on. We're almost there. There's an elevator on the next floor that will take you down. Just don't say anything to anyone. You shouldn't be noticed. If anyone asks, just tell them I sent you."_ He pushed the door open and they entered a long hallway. Cloud hurried to keep up with the taller man's stride. _"Hey, got any way I can contact you?"_

Cloud nodded and held out his PHS. _"I have this. It's old but it works. Only text."_

" _Sweet!"_ Reno took the PHS and keyed his number in and texted himself a message. _"All right. The first floor just heads out the front of the building and you're good to go. Where do you plan to stay?"_

" _I am not sure. This is as far as I managed. I have no idea."_

Reno blinked and rubbed the back of his neck. He pursed his lips as he thought before replying, _"When you get out the front, head to the train and get on. Go to the seventh section. It's a decent area and you should find someplace to stay. Maybe somewhere to work for a place."_

Cloud bopped his head, repeating what Reno had told him and bowed. _"Thank you."_

" _Good luck, kid!"_ Reno pressed the button on the elevator and the door opened. He waved as Cloud stepped on and pressed '1'.

Cloud waved back and the door closed. The elevator started to move and he jerked, grabbing hold onto the handle. He had never ridden an elevator before. He could feel the sensation of the small boxed room move downward. It took a while before it stopped and the door opened, revealing he had landed on the first floor and facing the large atrium of the headquarter. He looked around in awe. Around the room, there were offices with large glass panels facing the center. He saw the gold letters on the window indicating different department the offices were designated for. He stepped out of the elevator and walked across the foyer, going around the large fountain in the center. Unlike the plain hallways up on the top floors, the atrium was dazzling in gold and marble. Red velvet covered couches and chairs laid around the atrium and the information desk was near the front door. He turned his head to take in the new sights.

He spotted an office just near the front. The gold lettering on the glass said, 'Soldier Recruiting'. He raised an eyebrow and saw two men in the office, working at their desks. He made a decision and turned, walking toward the recruiting office. He pushed the door open and approached the first desk.

"Yes, how can I help you?" The man looked up, he looked bored and his uniform indicated he was second class Soldier.

Cloud stood up straighter and asked, "I want to sign up for Solider. How do I do that?"

The man blinked before he turned and pulled out the paperwork and handed it to Cloud. "Here, fill this form out and hand it to me. I'll set you up." Cloud took the paper and grabbed a pen from the cup holder on the desk and went over to the bench by the glass wall. He dropped his pack and read the form and started to fill it out.

"Hey Paul," The second man asked as he turned from his desk. "A recruit already?"

Paul, the first man, turned his head. "Yeah. First one of the mass, I guess. The announcement hasn't gone out yet?"

"No."

"All right. Maybe he just wanted to join. Hand me that file, Roy."

Roy grabbed the file and handed it to Paul. Paul turned and saw Cloud approaching his desk with the paper. "All done?" Cloud nodded. "All right, let's see." He took the paper and started to read. He muttered to himself as he read along and then paused at the bottom of the paper. He showed it to Cloud. "It says you can't hear."

Cloud raised an eyebrow. "Yeah? I can't hear."

Paul frowned. "If you can't hear. You can't join."

"Where does it say that in the rule?" Cloud challenged him.

Paul leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms. "Any physical defect, you can't join. If you can't hear, you have a physical defect."

Cloud frowned and crossed his arms defiantly. "I can talk; I can read lips. I came all the way here from Nibelheim alone. I don't consider my inability to hear a physical defect. I was born that way."

"Sorry kid, get out of here. You can't enlist." Paul pointed to the door.

"I'll be back," Cloud swore with a hint of anger in his tone. He grabbed his bag and left. He will not give up, not after the long way he came.

* * *

Note:

Sorry for delayed update. I have been swamped with school and homework lately. I have a huge research that I need to finish.

Anyway... few instances here in the chapter was reflected from my experiences:

1\. writing down on paper and pen to communicate. I do that a lot when I don't feel like talking. When I talk, people assume that I can read lips fluently and understand 100% but that's not the case and it's mentally tiring for me to try to figure out what the other person is saying. Writing it down on paper actually get them to slow down and communicate clearly with me.

2\. Flying. The announcement on the plane before taking off. I never catch that and never paid any attention to it. Common sense applies here.

3\. Dealing with obnoxious people like that bikini-clad girl. Sometimes some people just steamroll over me and not care if I can't hear or not.

4\. 15 and 50. I often have difficult time saying it and lip-reading it.

5\. Finding some people in public that can sign. It's seriously a huge relief to actually run into those people who know sign language and it makes it so much easier for me. Less headache and a whole lot less mentality burden. I am fortunate to run into people like that where I live and I appreciate it so much more.

6\. Cloud being natural born deaf and a rarity. That's a creative license I took here. But here's a fact that I took it from 90% of deaf people born deaf are from hearing parents. 10% are from deaf parents. I am only one in my family that's deaf but I do have the gene that made me deaf. Not all deaf people become deaf the same way. My hubby became deaf at 4 from a severe case of chicken pox or something. I had a friend that became deaf from meningitis. Everyone's different.

7\. Lip-reading and ability to talk. Not all deaf people can lip-read or talk. My mom figured I needed to learn to lip-read and talk at young age and had me in speech therapy for a long time. Her reason? This is a hearing world; I need to be able to have some form of communication other than sign language. Honestly, I am grateful my mom made that decision for me to learn sign language, lip-reading, and to speak. It did help me out in a long run.

8\. Texting! Thank god for the technology! I was so thrilled when it came out then. It made things so much easier!

9\. Recruitment office. I did actually attempt to enlist in Air Force when I was younger. I thought to give it a try because I could read lips very well and do have a fairly good hearing with hearing aids. I went, got turned down and tried again several more times over the time until one of them actually said if I manage to pass the test, Air Force would have no choice but to take me in. But that was when I became pregnant with my son. But it was a good experience.

10\. Considering deafness as a defect. Big no-no. Don't say that to deaf people's face. We don't consider ourselves handicapped or defect. We have a culture, language, history, traditions and all that, we consider it a different lifestyle. We can do ANYTHING we put our mind to it, just we can't hear. Take a look at Nyle DiMarco (yum), he showed the world!

Next update might take me a bit, I need to think it through and write it out. Until then!


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: Enlistment**

"It's that damn kid. He keeps coming back every day." Zack paused as he heard this walking past the break room. He turned and entered to find Paul and Roy from recruitment department. He went over to the coffee machine and started to make a cup, listening in. "Think he'll show up today?" Roy asked.

Paul bobbed his head and took a sip of his coffee before replying, "Yeah. I'm going have to throw him out again."

Zack frowned and turned around asking, "Throwing a potential recruitment out?"

Paul turned to Zack. "No. This kid is not a potential material even if he's stubborn and ambitious. He can't hear."

"Yeah." Roy injected. "He came all the way from Nibelheim and spent the last two weeks every day coming into the office asking to sign up for Soldier. I've never seen an extremely stubborn kid."

Zack's eyebrows rose. "Can't hear? How old is the kid?"

"Young, a teen," Paul replied, shrugging. "I'd sign him right up immediately if it weren't for his inability to hear. He talks really well and read lips but nothing gets in his ears."

The raven-haired lieutenant commander rubbed his chin. "Hm. When do you think he will be in?"

The recruiting soldier glanced at his watch and replied, "He's like a clockwork, I should expect him in 15 minutes."

"I want to meet the kid," Zack grinned, "I'm curious."

"Come on then," Roy replied and they walked together out of the room. "Weird kid too, bright eyes, crazy chocobo hair. Kinda cute, really." Zack followed the two men to the recruitment office on the main level of the ShinRa headquarter. He had been prepared to leave to go to the compound to get some personal training in but figured he could spare some time to find out more about the kid. Ever since Sephiroth got the letter from the boy on the western continent, he couldn't get the idea of a deaf soldier out of his head. He could see Sephiroth had similar gears turning in the pretty silver head on the same topic.

"It's just not right for a deaf person to want to become a soldier," Roy said.

"Why not?" Zack asked.

Paul replied, "You'd get into a lot of troubles if you can't hear. Just think about it. That's dysfunctional lifestyle. How he manages to make it this far in life without getting attacked by monsters, I have no idea."

Zack ran his hand through his hair. "Yeah. I can't imagine being unable to hear. But there's a small group in the lower plate that makes up a community."

"Yeah?" Paul asked.

"I just learned about them, there's a school for those people. They talk with their hands and I guess they managed to find a way to get around the no hearing thing."

"Huh. Maybe you could refer the kid there and he'll probably find a better job to suit his lifestyle." Roy murmured.

"He's really insistent about joining Soldier." Paul groused.

Zack laughed. "I want to meet the kid even more now." He found a chair in the recruitment office and sat down. Paul and Roy went to their respective desks and started to shuffle through their papers and work.

Not even five minutes later, as expected, the door open to reveal a young boy with wild blond hair sticking out in crazy spikes and bright blue eyes. Zack watched him with interest as the boy had determined look on his face approach, Paul.

Paul exhaled in exasperation and gave the boy a pointed look, waiting for the kid to say something. The boy glared at him in return and they stared at each other for few minutes before he opened his mouth and spoke. Zack's eyes widened as he heard a clear cut voice carry across the room. "I want to join 'oldier." He could detect the kid missed the 's' in his speech and had a slight nasal accent to his voice despite being very clear.

Paul shook his head and waved his hand. "Sorry kid," he gestured pointing to the boy and then pointed to his ear, shaking his head. "You can't hear." He waved his hands as if dismissing everything. "You can't join."

The boy narrowed his eyes. "Give me benefit of doubt. I can do it. I came here from Nibelheim on my own, that 'hould count for something."

Zack smirked and stood up. "I'll take it from here." He approached the boy and waved at him, gesturing for him to come up. The boy gave Paul one last glare and approached Zack. "Can you understand me?" He asked and saw the blonde nod. "My name is Zack. Come with me." He wrapped his arm around the boy's shoulder and led him out of the office and into the hallway of the ShinRa building. They walked a short distance to the lounge and then he stopped, turning to the kid. "What's your name?"

The blond haired kid watched Zack's mouth and replied, "My name is Cloud Strife." He was careful to press 'S' at his last name. Zack realized it was difficult for the kid to pronounce any word that began with 'S'.

Zack bobbed his head. "A'right Cloud. Tell me why you want to join?"

Cloud tilted his head as if in deep thought. He waited a minute before replying, "Why not? My father was 'Oldier. I want to be like him, and Efi'ro too."

Zack frowned, "Efi'ro…?"

Cloud looked at the loss of what to say and started to make a motion like swaying sword and gesturing a long blade. Zack's eyes widened, realizing what the kid was trying to say and asked, "Sephiroth?"

The boy smiled, bobbing his head vigorously. "Yes. Efi'ro!"

Zack slapped his head, laughing. "Oh, wow. That's a new one." He sighed and ran his hand through his unruly hair. "Wait a minute. You're that kid who wrote to him!"

Cloud frowned, having completely missed what Zack had said and shook his head. "Sorry, what?"

Zack realized he spoke too fast and gestured at the same time speaking slowly, "You wrote a letter to Sephiroth, did you?"

"Letter? Yes. I wrote to him. He got it?" Cloud asked, his eyes widened.

Zack nodded. "He did. Well, let me see what I can do about getting you enlisted." He saw Cloud's face brighten with excitement. He held up his hand, "Wait. I can't promise." Cloud nodded. "Uhm… Shit, how can I call you?"

Cloud pulled out his PHS, it was an old model, clearly outdated but still working. "Text?"

Zack laughed, "Of course!" He took out his PHS and flipped it open and took Cloud's PHS and started to add the kid's number to his device. "Wait for me to text you. You have a place to stay?"

Cloud nodded and shrugged. "Staying at Seventh Heaven. Work for food and bed."

"I see. All right. I'll let you know. I might be a few days. Don't come back to Paul." Zack jerked his thumb toward Paul and handed Cloud his PHS back.

Cloud's face darkened and wagged his finger. "One question, where does it say in the rule that you must be able to hear to join 'oldier?"

Zack stammered and frowned. He rubbed his chin, "You got a point here."

Cloud smiled, seeming pleased with himself. "I know. I did my research."

"Obviously." Zack replied and held up his PHS, "Wait for my text."

Cloud bobbed his head and smiled before bowing with a palm moving from lip downward to him, "Thank you!"

Zack mimicked his motion, "You're welcome." He watched the chocobo-haired boy walk out of the front entrance and noted he had a little spring to his steps. He turned to find Paul and Roy peering from their office door at him. "You know, he had a point. There was no rule against him joining."

"You're really going to let him enlist?" Roy asked.

"He'll be kicked out within the first few days of boot camp," Paul said.

Zack laughed. "We'll see. We can make that a bet if he gets enlisted!"

"Count us in!" Roy called after Zack.

* * *

Zack stumbled backward, gripping his sword as he dodged the fireball that shot past him. His eyes widened as he saw long blade pass through the fire god summon, making it dissipate. He sighed as Sephiroth stepped forward where Ifrit once stood. "Sephiroth."

The silver-haired general tilted his head in greeting. "I figured you would run into trouble." He walked past Zack and knelt beside two fallen soldiers on the ground.

"Whoa," Zack muttered as he knelt down beside Sephiroth. "They're the missing soldiers."

"Yes." Sephiroth murmured softly as he pulled the helmet off. "Genesis." The soldier had familiar face of his former friend.

"That's him?" Zack asked.

"No." Sephiroth turned and pulled the second soldier's helmet off and the second man had the same face as the first. "Genesis clones."

"No way." Zack stood up. "Human clones?"

Sephiroth stood up and glanced around, "Where is Angeal?"

Zack looked over his shoulder to where he had encountered Ifrit. He and Angeal had come to take Fort Tamblin and was just with him not too long ago. "He was just with me."

Sephiroth shook his head, "As I suspected. He just went with him as well."

Zack whirled around to face Sephiroth, "What? What do you mean?"

"Angeal has also betrayed us, that's what it means."

"Impossible. I know Angeal very well! He's not the type of person who would do something like that! Angeal would never betray me!"

Sephiroth glanced at his friend and held up a hand to silence the raven-haired soldier. "Zack. I discovered something and came to assist you. Angeal left because he has the same issue as Genesis. We will find out why. For now, we are to return to Midgar."

Zack followed Sephiroth toward the helicopter, disappointed with his mentor. He sat beside Sephiroth as the pilot started to rise the helicopter into the sky.

"We have a more pressing issue on our hands with Solider." Sephiroth started. "The recruitment is going to start tomorrow and I need you to be there with me to initiate the large group into boot camps."

Zack's head shot up, "Ah, I remember now. I wanted to tell you about that kid."

"Yes?"

"Just before I left for this mission, I met a kid in the recruitment office, he's the same kid that wrote to you. The deaf one."

Sephiroth turned his head to Zack in surprise. "Cloud Strife?"

"So you do still remember his name!" Zack exclaimed. "Yes, him! He came all the way to Midgar from Nibelheim and had been trying to register for past two weeks but Paul and Roy refused to let him sign up. He really is ambitious!"

Sephiroth nodded, "Enlist him. I'd like to see how he do in boot camp."

"Awesome! I'll call him and personally help him to register. He's really a cool kid, you'll like him."

Sephiroth smirked.

* * *

Cloud looked up to the ShinRa headquarter, beaming. He had gotten a text from Zack earlier that morning and was overjoyed that Zack asked him to come in to do the registration and bring his bag. That means he will be enlisted as Soldier after all! He couldn't contain his excitement and ran all the way to the headquarter. He looked at his PHS, the screen glowed and displayed the instruction from the other man. He walked into the building and searched around until he found the elevator to the side and went over. He pressed the button and waited. He was to go up to the 49th floor and meet Zack there.

The elevator door opened and he stepped on and pressed '49'. He turned around and watched with awe as the elevator rose higher, the glass window showing the view of Midgar in front of ShinRa headquarters. He pressed against the glass, taking in the sight. He was positive it was even more amazing at night with the city lights. He felt the elevator stop and turned to see the door open and stepped out.

The 49th-floor foyer was smaller than the one on the first floor and only had one desk in front of the elevator with a woman sitting there, talking into her headset and typing at the computer. Behind the desk were two separate hallways and he could see doors down the hallways. He assumed they were offices.

He jumped as he felt a hand land on his shoulder and turned to see Zack beside him. "Oh!"

Zack withdrew his hand and waved his hand in dismissal, "Sorry, forgot you can't hear me coming. Come on." He gestured for Cloud to follow.

"Thank you," Cloud told him as he followed the taller man down the hallway and into an office.

Zack shrugged and gestured for Cloud to sit in the chair in front of the desk. Making sure he sat facing Cloud and keep his speaking speed even, "This is not really my office, it's used for officers to fill out reports and whatnot. We will do your registration here."

Cloud nodded. "Why not in the recruitment office?" He asked, curious as he watched Zack type on the computer.

Zack shook his head and turned back to Cloud and grinned, "You're a special case. Recruitment office takes time to process. We want you to start sooner." He saw Cloud's eyes widened. "Also, the first boot camp starts today and if we do it in the recruitment office, you will have to wait six weeks. You want to start today?"

Cloud bobbed his head, grinning. "Ready to go!"

Zack chuckled and pushed the monitor to where Cloud can see too. "Let's get started!"

After an hour in the office, processing the registration, Cloud was officially registered to start training in the boot camp right away. Zack took him down to the garage and drove over to the training ground where Cloud would stay for the next six weeks in boot camp to become Soldier.

Cloud felt giddy and was a whirlwind of awe as he followed Zack around. He was first was shown to the main office at the training ground to receive his uniform and identification card. Then they swung over to the barrack where Cloud would live in for the next six weeks. Zack introduced him to the officers and discussed with them about his lack of hearing ability. Then, Zack took Cloud to the field to join the others for the orientation.

"All right, Strife," Zack said as he turned to Cloud, smirking at the young teen dressed in his uniform. "It's going to be hard, but do your best."

Cloud's eyes widened and he nodded. He swallowed as he glanced over at the group watching an officer yell at them. He turned back to Zack and bowed, "Thank you. I will do my best and make you proud."

Zack laughed and ruffled the blond spikes. "Ah, go on." He shoved the kid toward the group and stepped back. He watched for a bit as Cloud stumbled toward the group wide-eyed. He shook his head. "Ah, that's going to be tough." He turned and left.

The first day had gone by fairly well for Cloud. By the time he hit the bed, he had a throbbing headache and was exhausted beyond belief. He had strained to try to catch whatever information he could the whole day, only to get a gist of it and wrack his brain to fill in the holes and do a lot of guesswork. So far, no one really bothered him. He had managed to get through the first day and he has six more weeks to go.

He jerked awake as he felt the bed shake and sat up blearily, rubbing his eyes. He looked around and saw the other cadets scrambling around, getting dressed and realized he needs to follow suit. He got out of his bed and grabbed his uniform and dressed. He watched the others as he pulled his clothes on, he noted they were also tucking their bed in and cleaning up quickly. He followed and did his best tucking his bed in neatly as his mother had taught him. He was satisfied he had done a good job and hurriedly to join the others.

He noted it was still early as they started to jog in a formation and he kept up. It went on until the sun broke the horizon and they moved to the mess hall for breakfast. He followed, keeping eye on his group, to not lose track of them. It didn't take him very long to notice there were several groups of cadets and he was in the blue group.

Through the entire day, he kept up, mimicking his group's actions and the following suit. He responded when he was asked and tried his best to avoid causing trouble. By the end of the day, he was exhausted and fell asleep, only to wake up again shortly for a new day.

General Sephiroth walked through the training ground, observing the first batch of groups of cadets for Soldiers. The drill sergeants had given him good reports of progress and he was content to know the first batch of recruits were successful. He figured if the cycle of recruiting continues for the next six months, Soldiers will make up nearly half of the loss. He paused and watched as a group of women doing exercises. They were the first group of women recruits, a test batch. There were six groups of recruits, and in each one of them were thirty men or women in the case of one group. He glanced down at his pad and brought up the notes from the women group and read the report summary. Satisfied that the progress was doing well. He moved to the next group and observed.

"Get here now!" The drill sergeant screamed at one of the cadets. "Drop down and give me 50!"

Sephiroth watched as the cadet moved through the group and his eyes widened slightly as the young teen with shocking blond hair in spikes approach the drill sergeant and dropped down to the ground, doing push-ups. "You know the consequence of not listening!" The sergeant yelled to the group. Sephiroth frowned as he watched the boy continue with his punishment and realized who the kid was. He approached the sergeant and the cadets snapped, standing rigid. The sergeant frowned and turned to see what they were looking at. He gasped and saluted, "General!"

Sephiroth nodded. "At ease." He glanced down to the ground where the young teen was still doing push-ups. "What was the issue?"

"He didn't listen."

"Oh?"

"He fell behind and did not obey the command to hurry up and take lead."

Sephiroth looked down. "You don't usually train this group, do you?"

"No, sir!" The sergeant replied. "I am taking over for Kunsel. He was called away to deal with a temporary mission."

"And Kunsel did not brief you on this particular group?"

The sergeant frowned, "Sir? He left a briefing. It's unnecessary, the training is same as every other."

"Not in this group," Sephiroth replied. "This cadet," He leaned over and touched the teen's head. The blonde paused and looked up to see and his eyes widened as he scrambled back and stood up, saluting and blushing. "Cloud Strife?" Sephiroth asked, amused at the young teen's embarrassment. The boy nodded. Sephiroth turned back to the drill sergeant. "He's deaf. He can't hear you."

"What?" The sergeant sputtered. "Well, why is he here then? He shouldn't be enlisted."

Sephiroth sighed, "I allowed him to enlist."

Cloud's eyes widened as he read the silver-haired man's lips. He was shocked to meet General Sephiroth for the first time. He was far more glorious than he had expected, and at the same time, very real. So, Sephiroth had allowed him to enlist? He felt giddy on the inside.

"Sir?"

"I have my reasons. Proceed with the training as usual. Be sure to face him and speak clearly. I have been getting a report that this group is doing good. Keep that in mind. I do not want to hear any troubles." Sephiroth said harshly and turned to Cloud. "You may go back."

Cloud bowed, "Thank you, sir." He ran back to his place in the line and stood ready. He saw Sephiroth bow his head slightly toward him with a smirk and left. He felt his face go hot.

"Back to where you were!" The sergeant yelled. "Do the lap!" The group turned and started to run.

Sephiroth shook his head and walked away, moving to the next group. He had been keeping track on that particular group's progress and was impressed on a certain cadet's endurance. Zack had requested Cloud to be placed in Kunsel's group because the man would be more understanding and fair with the young teen.

He was impressed. Cloud had endured the first couple weeks so far and he was curious to see how it goes by the end of the six-week training. Cloud would have to pass an exam at the end of six-week training in order to become a third class Solider.

* * *

Note:

Sorry for a long wait for this chapter. I was busy with school, a couple of other fics and projects.

I have wanted to do more for this chapter but I wasn't sure where to go with it. I also had not intended for Sephiroth to meet Cloud just yet but he was just stubborn and had to meet him now.

I wanted to join the Air Force growing up because of the stories my mom told me while she was in the Air Force. I wanted to see the world, I dreamed of doing things that people think I can't do. I did go to recruitment office, hoping to see if I can get in so many times. I think by the 8th time, an officer finally said if I could pass the test and get as far as getting into the boot camp without failing, then they had no choice but to accept me. However, a while later, I got pregnant (unplanned!) and I had to give up on that dream in order to become a mom. But I still follow to see if the US military would change their mind and allow deaf people to enlist. In Israel, Deaf people can enlist in their army. So, it's not entirely impossible.

This, I can see Cloud feeling the same thing and wanting the same thing. That's what I love about fan fiction, Cloud is living the life I dreamed of.

Thank you for your positive encouragement and supports. I'll do my best to get the next chapter up in a week.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: A Day in a Soldier's Life**

Zack frowned at his laptop, he had opted to work on his report in the lounge instead of his office. The room was dark and the only light was coming from the large bay window, casting a soft glow in the dark room. He was beyond frustrated with the recent mission on Genesis and now, Angeal. The disappearance of his mentor had hit him hard.

"What the hell does Angeal think he's doing?" He muttered to himself as he tapped on the keyboard. "Even Sephiroth thinks Angeal is in with Genesis. It doesn't make sense; he holds his pride as a Soldier dearer than anyone I know." He groaned and threw his head back and tightened his fists on the tabletop. "The fuck you doing, Angeal?" He asked to no one and stood up, moving around the table to open space and started to do squats to relieve the pent-up energy.

Kunsel entered the lounge and went over to the table, leaning against it. "Yo, what got you agitated?"

Zack paused and turned to his friend, chuckling. "Kunsel." He rubbed the back of his head and sighed, "Just filling out reports of the latest mission."

Kunsel nodded, his dirty-blond hair shook. "Sucks to be you. I heard about those, I'm glad I got stuck doing the training duty instead of chasing down those copies."

Zack scoffed and returned to his laptop and Kunsel moved to sit across from him. Zack asked, "Speaking of training duty, how's the kid?"

"Cloud?" Kunsel asked, grinning. He had come to like the kid very much. "He's good. Probably the best in his class. He's due to take the exam tomorrow."

"Yeah? Good to know."

"Yeah, I got to learn sign language to communicate with him," Kunsel said. "Just basics. But it's not that hard. It can be useful when you need to be silent on a recon. Sign language is so much better to use than the hand singles we use. It makes so much more sense."

Zack looked up at Kunsel and grins.

Kunsel laughed, "Last week, we had this diving training and our team confused the hell out of the other teams because we were the only one able to communicate underwater without any confusion. We won by so many points."

Zack's eyes widened, "Really? Sound like a benefit. Sephiroth and I are trying to learn some ourselves. He more than I do but I think he'll have the entire Solider learn some before the end of the year."

Kunsel laughed, "That would be really good."

"So, you think Cloud's going to make it in for real?" Zack asked as he closed his laptop.

"He made it through the boot camp. There were some that dropped out, but not him. I am sure he'll pass the exam but not without difficulty. I can see why there's a good point to have a hearing ability."

Zack pursed his lips in thought, "Hm. There's something I'm going to look into for that…" He glanced down at his phone rang in his pocket. "Hold on." He took it out and flipped it open. "Yeah?"

"Soldier Second Class, Zack."

"That's me, who's this?" Zack asked.

"Lazard request your presence. Report to briefing room now."

Zack frowned, "Hold on! Who's this?"

The phone clicked, singling the end of the call.

Kunsel stood up, "I'll catch ya later."

Zack nodded as he stood up and grabbed his laptop. "Yeah, later."

* * *

"Oh hey!" Sephiroth turned his head to see Zack entering the observation room and inclined his head in greeting. Zack joined his side and glanced down the one-way window that overlooked the training room. "I came to see how Cloud's doing. You?"

"Same," Sephiroth replied quietly as he watched Kunsel instruct Cloud in the room. The room was a large cylinder shaped with metal walls. There were digital cameras and lights hidden in nooks and crannies in the room. He could see Kunsel's hands moving and Cloud replying in the same fashion. With his rudimentary knowledge of sign language, he was able to catch some words to understand. "Kunsel's instructing him on the basis of the test."

"Yeah," Zack replied. "Kunsel told me yesterday that he thinks Cloud will pass."

"I agree. It will be difficult but I trust he will."

Zack turned to the General. "I've been looking into it and I think I am going to suggest Cloud to consider hearing aid or something, just to give him a little bit of a boost."

Sephiroth shook his head. "I don't think that will work."

"Why?"

The General turned to his friend, "Hearing aid amplifies the sounds but Cloud has been living his whole life in silence, his brain isn't wired to recognize sounds at all. He had his physical last week, the doctors report that his ears looked healthy and have all parts, except, there are no hair-cells in his cochlea to carry the sounds. So, hearing aid might or might not work, but he will need a lot of training to be able to recognize some sounds, but not all."

Zack frowned and rubbed his chin. "Interesting. What about those… what are they called?"

"Cochlear Implants?" Sephiroth asked and Zack nodded. "Same thing. Will not work on Cloud. He's a natural born deaf and again, his brain is hard-wired to no sounds. I don't think he will be willing. There's a controversy about the device among the deaf people."

"Damn, that's tough." Zack murmured and turned to watch Cloud. Kunsel had just left the room and joined them.

"Hey." Kunsel greeted them and clicked on the computer near the window, starting the test.

They watched as hologram swirled around in the room. Cloud gripped the sword he was given to use and fell into a stance, watching as the light swirled.

The lights settled before him and became a warrior in armors. It was massive and started to hulk toward Cloud. Cloud watched the movement and shifted to move toward the right, but he saw something and changed his mind, moving left before the large armored figure dropped a large ax on his right side. He darted to the side of the room and observed the figure, looking for something.

"He is very observant," Sephiroth commented as he watched Cloud attack with precise movement and disabled the armored warrior. The light fell into tiny cubes and formed again into a different figure, indicating round two of the trail.

Cloud watched as the armored warrior fall apart when he attacked a weak spot part and suddenly morphed into a large bipedal creature with short arms and a long snout full of sharp teeth. It roared and lung forward, attacking Cloud.

He could feel the roar vibrate through the room and sidestepped as it lunged forward. It ran into the wall and slammed, shaking its head. It turned around and attacked. Cloud swept up his sword, slicing it across the neck and causing the creature to explode into digital lights. It transformed and turned into a different creature.

"Damn. That's good." Zack whistled and checked the time on the computer. "He's going through them with the fastest timing."

"General?" Kunsel asked. Sephiroth nodded, not breaking his eyes away from the glass. "With your permission, I'd like to up the level challenge by adding one more level."

Sephiroth turned his gaze to the young soldier, "Input Alpha Zeta 714 program."

Kunsel's jaw dropped, "Sir! That's…"

"Sephiroth!" Zack gasped. "Are you serious?"

Sephiroth gave a smirk, "Do it." He turned back to the glass. Kunsel keyed in the program, it would turn up right after Cloud defeat the current program. "I'd like to see how he puts up with me."

The hologram challenger scattered across the floor as Cloud swiped his sword and sighed. He watched as the little light cubes lay on the floor and turned to the door. He allowed his sword to drop to his side and wiped his brow with his free hand. He had finished the trial and looked up at the mirrored glass above.

He frowned, Kunsel wasn't coming through the door. He turned and gasped, seeing Sephiroth stand before him with Masamune. He swallowed. That wasn't part of the trial. He waved his hand and glanced up at the glass with wide eyes.

He yelped as the blade of Masamune came close to his face and he jumped back. He gripped his sword and raised it in time to block another attack. He watched as the General move around the room, like a predator watching and observing its prey. Only he was the prey. He blocked as Sephiroth attacked with fast stabbing and swiping motions. He held on, parrying every attack he could as he backtracked, trying to hold his own but the other man was too strong and too fast. He was able to discern the next move a millisecond and moved to defend. It was nearly impossible for him to find a hole to put in an attack, he knew he was too slow and weak. He could only defend as the best he could. He yelped as he tumbled, tripping over his own feet and fell backward. The cold steel of Masamune swiped down only to stop before his neck, the sharp edge pressing on his jugular. The hologram Sephiroth froze, looking menacing as he stared down at Cloud.

Cloud shuddered at the look in the eyes of the taller man standing over him. He never wanted to face the man himself like this and hoped he would never ever again. The door opened and he craned his neck to see, the hologram dissipating. He scrambled to stand and saluted as the real Sephiroth stepped into the room. His eyes were wide, he was sweating bullet from the exercise and he cursed inwardly, his knees were knocking and shaking from exertion.

Sephiroth watched the young cadet with a tiny smile. The boy had impressed him with his ambition, hard-working, and diligent to his training. There was something special about him and it wasn't his deafness, it was something deeper. He raised his hands and signed, _"Good work. You passed. Congratulation."_

Cloud's eyes widened almost too comically. He had never thought General Sephiroth would personally congratulate him, let alone tell him in his own language. He was speechless and all he could do was nod and smile.

Zack laughed as he stepped into the room next to Sephiroth and signed, _"You did it! Come on."_

Sephiroth watched as Cloud move past him to join Zack. He shook his head in amusement and gave Kunsel a nod and left in the opposite direction.

Cloud looked over his shoulder to see General Sephiroth retreat down the hall. He couldn't believe it. It was too surreal. Zack clapped his shoulder, shaking him out of his reverie and asked with rudimentary signs, _"You okay?"_

Cloud nodded, not wanting to speak yet. His throat was dry and he was afraid his voice would crack. He gestured, _"Just tired."_

Zack understood what he said and nodded. "Let's get you showered and some food in your belly. Then you need to start a new form to register for Third Class. I'm going to check your exam and find out where you have been placed." He saw Cloud nod and chuckled, pushing him gently into the locker room and waved. _"See you."_

* * *

"Can you tell me why you turned this mission I just went on down?" Zack asked as he walked into Sephiroth's office to find the man working at the computer.

Without even pausing and breaking away from the computer screen, Sephiroth replied, "You would have gotten more out of it than I did. Besides, I was able to uncover a little more information being here." He finally stopped and turned to face Zack who sat down and plopped his boots onto his desk. He eyed the boots with a glare before continuing. "Doctor Hollander is indeed involved, and not only just that, he also stole a lot of files from Professor Hojo. These files do not hold good news."

Zack dropped his boots down and leaned forward. "What kind of files?"

"Research on Project S, namely, me. Rufus is right to point me in that direction. I do not like where this is going. But we need to get to assembly in," The General checked the clock on his desk, "20 minutes. We're to announce big news to Soldier."

"Really?" Zack stood up as Sephiroth did. "What is it?" Sephiroth gave a grin, handing a printout of the email he had just received. Zack took it and read it. His eyes went wide. "No way! This is good news!"

"Yes," Sephiroth replied. "That's one less thing to worry about for the time being." They walked out of the building and over to the large assembly area where already over thousands of soldiers were assembled. It was nearly the entire army save for those at Junon Bases and around the world.

"Also, President ShinRa decided Angeal Hewley and Genesis Rhapsodos are officially dead to the records. We are still to continue with our investigation on them."

Zack gave a whistling exhale. "Shit. That's just set it in."

"I know."

Sephiroth stood on the stage, facing the large crowd of soldiers. It was not all of them but the majority of them. The ShinRa Co. camera crew was set up in front of him, to broadcast the announcement all over, even in Junon Base. He knew the entire world was watching. It was something he detested, being a poster boy for the company but he couldn't help it, it was his job.

He spied a familiar blond hair sticking in the sea of soldiers. A tiny smirk triggered the corner of his smile. He glanced over to Zack and noticed the other man had found their little project. He gave Zack a nod and turned back to the podium before him. The paper with the announcement was laid in front him.

Zack gave a quick grin to the General before turning serious, facing the crowd on the stage. He caught Cloud's eyes and saw a slight confusion in his look. He glanced around and found Kunsel in front. He moved to the edge of the stage and knelt, gesturing for Kunsel to come forward. He whispered, "Someone needs to tell Cloud what's happening. Can you do this?"

Kunsel nodded and turned, spotting Cloud. He waved the young soldier over, _"Come over here, stand here."_

Cloud nodded and moved to stand where Kunsel stood. Kunsel turned and stood with his back to the stage, standing straight. Cloud stood straight to attention like every other soldier. Zack gave a nod, satisfied and clapped Kunsel's shoulder in silent thanks before standing back up.

Sephiroth had seen the entire thing from the corner of his eyes and was grateful for Zack's quick thinking. He wanted everyone to be able to understand and be included. His eyes went to the camera and a slight frown marred his forehead. It had never occurred to him, what of those deaf people out in the city? How do they get their information? And how accurate were they? It sparked a fire of curiosity inside him and he knew he had to investigate soon as possible. It wasn't fair to other deaf people if they are not getting everything as everyone else was.

He cleared his throat and tapped the microphone, getting a slight feedback. "Wutai War is over." There was an eruption of cheering ad Sephiroth held his hand up to silence his solider. As fast as the cheer rose, the silence fell. He continued, "We will withdraw from Wutai starting now."

True to Sephiroth's word, the soldiers in Wutai are breaking camps and packing up, leaving Wutai. The stalemate had come to an agreement between President ShinRa and Lord Godo. They have agreed that the war had gone too far and too long, wasting their precious resources. General Sephiroth had been sent to facilitate the temporary peace offering recently and was glad to see the war end. He held his pride in his Solider and their discipline but holds no love for war.

"This does not mean there are victories on both ends. Temporarily peace agreement has been placed for the time being. Soldier, remember to hold true to your honor, diligent and duty. You are Soldier of ShinRa." Sephiroth finished and stepped back from the podium to look over his thousands of Soldiers before him.

They saluted in harmony and chorused together, "Yes, Sir! ShinRa! ShinRa! ShinRa!"

"Good speech," Zack said as Sephiroth walked past him. He heard the General's quiet grunt and chuckled, knowing the General hated giving speeches out. It was straightforward and simple. He glanced down and winked at Cloud before exiting the stage.

* * *

Cloud pushed the trolley full of mail. He had been given a simple assignment for the time being to be a mail-boy for the ShinRa headquarter. Kunsel had explained that they, being Zack and himself, are looking into to find a position that suited Cloud the best. Until then, he was positioned to become errand-boy for the ShinRa building along with few other soldiers that nearly failed their exams. Cloud wasn't happy but he could not complain, he had made it in Solider after all.

He paused before the recruitment door and grimaced. He pulled out few mails and pushed the door open to find Paul and Roy in the office. "Mail."

They looked up and their eyes widened, remembering him.

Roy stood up and took the mail, "Well, well… you did make it in after all."

Paul laughed, "And only to be a mail-boy."

Cloud gave him a scathing glare. "At least I am in. I came out the top of the exam and breaking the timing record." He grinned, "Suck that up." He turned and left.

Paul's jaw dropped and Roy chuckled under his breath, impressed with the young soldier.

Cloud laughed to himself and continued on with his deliveries. He worked his way up to the 60th floor. It was the last floor he could access to and he had to leave the rest of the mails for the higher up floors to the secretary at the end of his route. He flipped through the last of his mails to see who he has to deliver and saw a parcel for General Sephiroth. His eyebrow rose.

"Mail." He announced as he pushed his way into the first office and delivered to the individuals and smiled at a young secretary to one of the lieutenants. She giggled as she took the envelopes from him. Cloud shook his head in amusement. The best part of the job was when some of the secretaries would attempt to flirt with him or some of the older women would give him cookies or treats.

"Mail." He entered the Weapon Department office and found the woman he was looking for. The tall blond with a red dress that was too revealing for the department. He shook his head, having heard enough stories about Scarlet Rouge. He approached the woman and handed it to her.

"Oh, thank you." She took it without looking at him. She frowned as she felt a tug and looked down to find a slightly shorter and young soldier looking up at her with his hand on the parcel. "Yes?"

"You must 'ign this." He told her.

She turned to him and took the pen. It clicked when she realized he had a strange accent to his voice and asked, "You're that deaf kid?"

Cloud blinked and nodded a moment later, realizing what she was trying to ask. "Yes. Solider Strife, at your 'erivce."

Scarlet grinned, "Cute too." She reached out and ruffled his blond hair and then poked his nose. "I've heard about you."

He grimaced and rubbed his nose, "Yeah, yeah."

"Hey, can you tell me what does this mean?" She asked, holding a sign up. She saw Cloud laugh and frowned. "What? Did I do it wrong?"

Cloud shook his head, having heard the story from Zack. "It's accurate. It is what it is." He turned and left, wheeling his tray out.

Scarlet gasped, staring at the young soldier, "Oooh!"

One of her weapon designers asked, "Did you just flipped the kid off?" She ducked as Scarlet threw a file at her in a fit of rage.

Cloud wheeled the nearly empty tray to the next office, it was the last one before he had to finish the route off with the secretary at the end of the hall. He left the tray and grabbed few envelopes and parcels.

"Director Tseng." He approached the office of the Turks and handed the mails before turning out to move to the next one. He felt his shoulder being grabbed and looked to find Reno besides him. "Reno."

 _"Hey!"_ Reno replied, grinning. _"Congratulation! You made it in. And blew the exam away!"_

Cloud turned to fully face the red-head, smiling. _"Yeah. It was unbelievable. General Sephiroth was there."_

 _"No way! I just heard that you broke the timing record in the trial run. But, General Sephiroth? He never makes any personal appearance to any soldier's test or trial."_

Cloud shrugged and asked, _"Is it normal for anyone to be tested against General Sephiroth?"_

Reno frowned and shook his head, _"What do you mean?"_

 _"The last round of my trial run, I faced General Sephiroth. I mean, the avatar of him."_

The Turks' eyes widened. "No way…" he switched his language, _"Seriously? That's unheard of. The avatar of General Sephiroth is reserved for higher class soldiers, to test their endurance and stamina for First Class. No one can beat him."_

The young blonde gasped in surprise. _"Really?"_

"Yup," Reno replied and slugged the young soldier's shoulder. _"Go on. I shouldn't be holding you up for your duty. They haven't found you a position yet?"_

Cloud shook his head and smiled. _"Maybe soon. Good to see you."_ He turned and left. He moved to the next office and entered, "Mail." He handed the letters to Zack and grinned. "Is it true that I am the only one that got General's avatar for the test trial?"

Zack looked up in surprise and took the mail. "Oh, yeah."

"Why?" Cloud asked, curiously.

The older man leaned back in his chair, stretching his arms up, loosening the kinks in his shoulders. "Sephiroth asked for it."

"Seriously!?"

Zack laughed "Yeah. Kunsel and I were surprised. You did well for a beginner. No one held out as long as you did."

Cloud blinked, amazed. He looked down to the parcel in his hand, he has to deliver the last mail to the man himself. He felt nervous. "Any prospect on a new position? Not that I am complaining about being a mail-boy."

Zack stood up, grinning. "Kunsel and I are narrowing it down. Turns out most of the job positions here require some hearing. But we'll find you a place to put your skills to use. You do have potentials."

"Thanks." Cloud smiled.

Zack walked with Cloud to the door and asked, "Want to hang out this weekend? I'd like to learn more sign language."

Cloud bobbed his head. "Sound great!" He waved and moved to the next door and stood there. He inhaled and knocked, "Mail." He could see the General in the office, working away at the computer. He watched for any acknowledgment. He saw a nod and pushed the door open. He went to the desk and handed the parcel, it had to be signed.

Sephiroth looked up and bit back a slight surprise to see the young cadet that had occupied his mind of late. He took the parcel and grabbed a pen, signing his name. _"Thank you."_ He signed as he returned the sheet.

Cloud automatically responded, still finding it hard to believe the General was using sign language, _"You're welcome."_

Sephiroth smirked. _"I am not good at signing but I'd like to learn more and practice to get better."_ He paused and thought before continuing, _"How is your job?"_ He frowned, hoping he had gotten it right.

Cloud nodded, smiling. "Thank you for asking. It's good. Not what I want to do but it's a start."

Sephiroth gave a nod. _"Good."_ He stood up and walked with Cloud to the door. "Maybe we can find time so you can teach me."

"Zack and I are hanging out this weekend, I am teaching him. Maybe you could join us." Cloud suggested.

"That sounds good," Sephiroth replied. "I will be there."

Cloud found himself growing hot and bowed his head. "See you then, Efi'ro." He turned and left, hurriedly to deliver the last of the mail. Sephiroth was nothing like he had believed to be growing up. He was much nicer in person and very considerate. He couldn't help but feel a slight flutter in his chest.

Sephiroth watched the young more solid leave hurriedly. He had not missed the red dusting on the freckled cheeks and chuckled. Zack was right, the boy did have a difficult time pronouncing his name but he had liked how it sounded coming from his lips. "Efi'ro." He repeated, it was interesting. He returned to his work. He found himself looking forward to learning more sign language from Cloud.

* * *

 **Note:**

I ran into a writer's block with this chapter. Sorry, it took a while to get it out but I am pleased with what came up.

 _Hearing aids and Cochlear Implant._ It is usually the first thing hearing person would think is the best option for a deaf person, assuming it would help them to hear. Sorry to tell you this, no. It's the most offensive way you could ever do to a deaf person by telling the person to get a hearing aid or cochlear implant. Just don't. It's a personal decision and a very difficult decision for a person and parents to consider. There is a big controversy over Cochlear Implant in the deaf community. Majority of them hates it and the idea of it, not because of the device, but the reason behind it and how it was pushed onto them by hearing people.

There is no cure for deafness. **Period.** (don't even try to argue with me. I know.)

The best option is to remove the language barrier and eliminate the oppression on them. I can write a report, textbook, and whatnots on it. (I am actually writing a research on Deaf Culture and Social Media for my BA capstone currently).

The whole point of this story is I want to establish a relationship between Sephiroth and Cloud, with Cloud being deaf. I'll be drawing away from introducing the deaf and focusing on their story more now.

Cloud speaks really well and few people switch between talking and signing. At this point, Zack and Sephiroth both know the basic sign language but keep their lips and eye-contacts clear with Cloud.

Kunsel had learned enough sign language to be somewhat proficient (but not on the same level as Reno), so he can interpret for Cloud. But in the real world, do not ever get anyone who knows sign language to become an interpreter. Get a professional, please. What Zack did was wrong if it were a real situation. But we're talking Final Fantasy world with very little, tiny, microscopic deaf community compared to real world. Interpreters and closed captions do not exist in their world… yet.

Thank you so much for tremendous support and reviews. I didn't think this story would do so well. Love to you all! **_\m/**


End file.
